Lll  5RARY 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

OIKT    OK 

Mrs.  SARAH  P.  WALSWORTH. 

Received  October,  1894. 
-cessions  No.  5*f$  /  fi          Cljss  No. 


COMMENTARY 


BOOK    OF   PKOVEKBS. 


BY 

MOSES    STUART, 

LATELY  PROFESSOR  OF  SACRED   LITERATURE  IN  SHE  THEOLOGICAL 
SEMINARY   AT   ANDOVER,   MASS. 


NKVV    YORK- 

M.   W.  I)  ODD,  BRICK   CHURCH    CHAPEL, 
1  H .  >  2  . 


5-7310 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1852,  by 

I.  W.  STUART,  EXECUTOR, 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


I.    CHAIGHEAD,     PIUNTEa, 
53  Vesey  Street. 


PREFACE 


THE  history  of  the  present  undertaking  is  brief  and  simple. 
After  completing  my  Commentary  on  Ecclesiastes,  I  felt  specially 
attracted  toward  another  book,  (that  of  the  Proverbs),  by  reason 
of  its  close  affinity  with  Ecclesiastes,  in  a  variety  of  respects. 
The  gnomic  form  of  much  that  is  in  the  latter  book,  naturally 
produced  in  my  mind,  after  having  spent  so  much  time  upon  it, 
an  interest  in  respect  to  the  other  book,  which  is  filled  with 
gnomes.  A  large  circle  of  clerical  friends,  (many  of  whom  had 
once  been  my  pupils),  who  are  now  moving  in  extensive  spheres 
of  usefulness,  and  enjoying  the  approbation  of  highly  respected 
churches,  gave  me,  early  in  the  summer  of  the  present  year, 
cheering  and  animating  encouragement  to  proceed  in  the  writing 
of  a  Commentary  on  the  Proverbs.  My  own  inclination  and 
choice  had  already,  in  a  measure,  anticipated  their  friendly 
request ;  for  when  that  reached  me,  I  had  gone  on  more  than 
half-way  through  the  book,  in  the  writing  of  the  Commentary. 
Other  friends  and  brethren,  also,  have  since  approved  and  encour 
aged  the  undertaking.  A  kind  Providence  has  spared  my  life,  when 
I  had  little  reason  to  expect  its  continuance :  and  from  time  to 
time,  after  repeated  partial  interruptions  of  my  labors,  (during  some 
of  which  I  was  led  seriously  to  doubt  whether  I  should  ever  be 
able  to  renew  them),  I  have  been  enabled  to  complete  what  I 
had  begun,  if  not  according  to  my  wishes,  yet  according  to  my 
best  ability. 


4  PREFACED 

In  the  composition  of  the  work  which  follows,  I  have  felt  even 
a  deeper  interest  than  I  had  anticipated.  As  to  the  Hebrew  in 
which  it  is  written,  it  bears  the  unmistakable  stamp  of  antiquity. 
Nothing  can  be  more  diverse  in  this  respect  than  the  Proverbs 
and  the  Preacher.  A  true  lover  of  the  old  Hebrew  must  needs 
enjoy  the  reading  of  the  Proverbs.  Then,  in  the  next  place,  such 
a  book  as  this,  which  records  so  many  hundreds  of  short,  pointed, 
pithy  sayings,  or  maxims-  QKSJ  ex.hil.it  mi,ch  of  the  common  con 
versational  idiom  of  the  Hebrews.  Moreover,  many  of  the  nicer 
.and  more  difficult  points,  in  respect  to  Hebrew  Grammar,  are 
here  developed,  as  we  should  naturally  conclude  they  would  be  ; 
for  proverbial  sayings  generally  take  large  liberties  as  to  the  forms, 
idioms,  and  syntax  of  any  language.  The  student,  who  is  desirous 
of  mastering  such  difficulties,  will  acquire  much  useful  training  in 
the  accurate  investigation  of  the  idioms  in  the  book  before  us. 
Nowhere,  in  the  Hebrew  Scriptures,  is  knowledge  of  this  kind 
more  often  required  than  here.  And  it  is  in  the  study  of  this 
book,  that  the  masterly  Syntax  of  Ewald,  in  regard  to  the  most 
obscure  and  difficult  points  of  the  Hebrew  language,  affords 
peculiar,  and  in  general,  adequate  aid,  —  aid  which  can  scarcely 
be  found  to  such  an  extent  in  any  other  work  of  this  nature.  I 
acknowledge  myself  indebted  to  him,  for  illustrations  of  some 
points  elsewhere  either  overlooked  or  imperfectly  exhibited. 
There  is  scarcely  any  anomaly  in  the  Hebrew  Scriptures,  on 
which  he  has  not  touched  ;  and  not  only  so,  but  adduced  illustra 
tion  and  confirmation  of  his  method  of  sclvhv  it. 

£> 

Ernesti,  almost  a  century  ago,  said  that  no  interpretation,  which 
is  at  variance  with  the  laws  of  grammar  and  of  idiom,  can  be  the 
true  one.  The  reason  is  obvious.  To  be  at  all  understood,  the 
sacred  writers  must  of  course  conform  to  the  itsus  loquendi  of 
their  times.  The  laws  of  grammar,  so  called,  do  nothing  more 
than  exhibit  facts  respecting  the  ttsits  loquendi  of  any  language. 
They  are  not  laws  which  grammar  makes,  but  laws  which  it 
discovers  and  exhibits.  If,  then,  we  do  not  attain  to  a  right 
understanding  of  these  laws,  wo  of  rouvs?  must,  to  a  certain 


PREPACK,  0 

extent,  fee  ignorant  of  the  usus  in  question  ;  and  when  we  are 
thus  ignorant,  how  can  we  interpret  with  any  good  measure  of 
assurance,  that  we  are  in  the  right  ?  We  may  give  credit  to  the 
learning  and  judgment  of  others,  but  we  cannot  trust  our  own. 

On  such  a  ground  of  exegesis  as  that  mentioned  above,  I  have 
aimed  that  the  following  work  should  have  its  basis.  There  has 
never  been,  consciously  on  my  part,  any  endeavor  to  dictate  what 
the  sacred  writer  ought  to  say,  but  merely  to  find  out  tu/iat  he  has 
said.  And  to  do  this,  all  guessing,  conjecture,  or  imagination 
must  be  dismissed,  and  must  stand  aside.  My  reverence  for 
God's  Word  is  such,  that  Avhen  I  find  out  what  his  servants  have 
said  and  sanctioned,  I  regard  it  as  of  more  value  than  all  which 
any  uninspired  interpreter  can  say.  Hence  my  partiality  for  a 
simple  commentary  of  explanation,  at  least  for  the  use  of  all 
preachers  of  the  gospel.  A  commentary  merely  hortatory  and 
practical,  they  should  themselves  be  able  to  make.  They  ought 
not  to  depend  on  others,  in  this  case.  But  to  find  the  real 
nucleus,  out  of  which  this  practical  commentary  is  to  be  devel 
oped,  one  must  of  necessity  betake  himself  to  the  aid  of  gram- 
matico-historical  exegesis.  The  present  work  is  designed  to  aid 
such  an  undertaking,  to  facilitate  the  labor  of  the  student,  and  to 
spare  him  as  much  of  time  in  regard  to  the  investigation  of  ma 
terials,  as  is  practicable,  when  this  is  to  be  carried  through  by  his 
own  efforts. 

I  believe  I  may  venture  to  assert  that  there  is  no  real  difficulty 
as  to  form,  idiom,  or  syntax,  in  the  book  of  Proverbs,  on  which  I 
have  not  touched,  and  which  I  have  not  endeavored  to  explain. 
Hence  the  saving  of  time,  as  I  would  hope,  to  the  reader.  The 
materials  are  gathered  for  him  ;  they  are  fitted  for  structure  ;  and 
he  has  only  to  apply  his  own  efforts,  in  order  to  erect  and  complete 
the  structure  designed.  It  has  been  my  intention  always  to  conduct 
him  so  as  that  he  may  see  with  his  own  eyes,  if  he  will  use  them ; 
and,  moreover,  see  as  clearly  as  if  he  had  expended  his  time  in 
collecting  for  himself  the  materials  now  made  ready  to  his  hand. 
Ex  cathedra  direr?  is  not  desinedl  tho  order  of  rhp  da.  in  the 


D  PREFACE. 

following  work.  Nothing  is  intended  to  be  established  by  mere 
assertion  or  assumption,  but  every  opinion  given  is  designed  to  be 
defended  by  facts  and  reasons.  Of  these,  the  reader  has  as  good 
a  right  to  judge  as  the  writer. 

Brief  I  have  aimed  to  be.  I  have  been  so,  specially  in  the 
Commentary.  I  have  not  labored  to  explain  what  can  be  made 
no  plainer  than  it  already  is.  Smaller  difficulties  are  briefly  and 
summarily  discussed.  In  a  few  cases  only,  has  a  kind  of  exegetical 
dissertation  been  deemed  necessary  ;  and  these  are  treated  with 
all  needful  and  becoming  amplitude. 

In  a  large  number  of  cases,  where  the  language  is  figurative, 
or  peculiarly  compressed,  or  elliptic,  or  hyperbolic  in  the  mode 
of  expression,  I  have  subjoined  to  each  verse  a  summary  of  what 
I  deemed  to  be  the  real  sentiment  designed  to  be  expressed,  in 
plain  and  simple  English  idiom.  The  expert  in  commentary  will 
not  be  displeased  with  this ;  the  tyro  will,  as  I  would  hope,  grate 
fully  accept  of  such  aid,  and  avail  himself  of  it. 

I  have  become  more  and  more  attached  to  a  close  translation 
of  the  original,  as  a  most  important  aid  in  the  study  of  a  Hebrew 
book.  Our  idiom  better  expresses  the  Hebrew,  than  any  other 
modern  European  language,  or  than  the  older  Latin  or  Greek. 
De  Wette  has  made  a  noble  translation  of  the  Scriptures  into  the 
German  ;  and  this  language  stands  next  to  our  own,  in  exhibiting 
the  power  of  the  Hebrew  idiom.  But  I  have  forborne  habitually 
to  consult  his  version  of  the  book  in  question,  because  I  wished  to 
give  my  own  impressions  of  the  meaning  of  the  Hebrew,  without 
any  embarrassment.  De  Wette,  however,  may  well  be  consulted 
by  the  student ;  but  now  and  then  I  have  found  in  him  evidence 
that  he  had  not  always  mastered  some  of  the  peculiar  idioms  of 
the  book,  nor  always  investigated  specialities  of  syntax  in  it.  I 
have,  therefore,  forborne  to  consult  him,  with  less  reluctance  than 
I  should  have  felt,  without  having  come  to  the  knowledge  of  these 
facts.  I  hardly  need  to  say  that  my  aim  has  been  to  keep  close 
to  the  original,  and  to  employ  pure  and  simp!  •  fi-nylixh  words  in 
my  version.  The  Inttor  will  speak  for  itsoh".  I  have  more  often 


PREFACK.  7 

hesitated  in  order  to  find  a  Saxon  word  which  is  not  vulgar, 
instead  of  a  word  derived  from  the  Latin  or  Greek,  than  from 
almost  any  other  cause.  After  all,  I  have  been  forced,  at  times, 
upon  the  latter  class  of  words,  either  to  avoid  vulgarism,  or  to 
give  the  nicer  shade  of  meaning  demanded  by  the  Hebrew. 
E.  g.  the  meaning  of  "Sb  is  to  satisfy,  and  also  to  satiate.  In  cases 
where  the  latter  meaning  is  plain,  our  version  has  given  filled,  or 
satisfied,  neither  of  which  convey  the  Hebrew  shade  of  meaning. 
I  have  been  obliged,  therefore,  to  use  satiate ;  for  I  could  not  say 
stuffed,  crammed,  or  the  like.  But  then,  this  is  no  more  a  Latin- 
ism  than  satisfy ;  and  it  may  be  employed  with  equal  propriety. 
In  all  cases  where  a  real  equivalent  Saxon  word  presented  itself 
—  a  word  in  good  repute  —  I  have  preferred  it.  It  is  such  a 
usage  of  our  English  translators,  which  has  made  our  common 
version  an  immortal  monument  of  the  noble  Anglo-Saxon. 

A  good  and  faithful  translation  is  of  itself,  for  the  most  part, 
an  adequate  interpretation.  Hence  its  importance.  That  in  such 
a  book  as  that  of  Proverbs,  our  English  translators  should  have 
sometimes  erred,  being  furnished  with  no  other  knowledge  than 
what  the  lexicons  and  grammars  afforded  them  two  centuries  ago, 
is  much  less  a  matter  of  wonder,  than  that  they  should  so  gen 
erally  have  been  in  the  right.  No  apology  however  is  needed, 
as  I  trust,  at  the  present  time,  for  differing  from  them  in  a  few 
cases,  where  new  light  has  been  poured  upon  grammar,  idiom,  or 
the  general  subject  of  Hebrew  antiquities. 

Thus  much  for  the  history  and  manner  of  my  present  work. 
A  word  as  to  the  book  itself,  which  is  the  subject  of  commen 
tary,  and  I  have  done. 

The  book  of  Proverbs,  I  venture  to  assert,  has  a  deep  historical 
interest,  as  well  as  a  moral,  social,  industrial,  and  pious  one. 
Solomon  doubtless  did  not  make  or  compose  all  the  proverbs  con 
tained  in  it.  Many  of  them  he  selected,  digested,  and  arranged. 
But  the  mass  of  the  book  passed  through  his  hands,  or  at  least 
through  his  mind  ;  and  therefore  it  has  his  sanction.  But  there 
can  be  little  doubt,  that  by  far  (ho  greater  part  of  the  book  orig 


8  PREFACE. 

inated  among  the  Hebrew  people  as  such.  Most  of  the  maxims 
are  plainly  the  offspring  of  sound  common  sense,  of  much  expe 
rience,  and  of  acute  discrimination.  They  bear  the  evident 
stamp  of  serious,  thinking,  and  devout  minds.  I  have  spoken  of 
them  as  a  selection.  There  is  good  reason  for  thus  speaking ; 
inasmuch  as  in  1  Kings  4  :  32,  we  are  told  that  Solomon  "  spake 
three  thousand  proverbs."  If  now  he  drew  from  these,  in  order 
to  compose  one  book  of  Proverbs,  he  must  have  selected ;  for  the 
present  book  contains  less  than  one  thousand.  The  internal  testi 
mony  of  the  book  discloses  the  certainty,  that  the  proverbs  of 
other  wise  men  besides  Solomon  are  contained  in  it.  The  store, 
then,  of  Hebrew  proverbs  must  have  been  very  great,  in  the  time 
of  Solomon. 

Let  this  however  be  as  it  may,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  this 
book  had  great  currency  among  the  Hebrews.  It  fell  in,  therefore, 
with  the  feelings  and  views  of  that  people.  It  is  here,  then,  that 
we  come  to  see  the  historical  element  of  the  book.  It  is  a  picture 
—  a  vivid  picture  —  of  the  internal  Hebrew  man  ;  of  his  genius, 
feelings,  practical  reasonings,  morals,  industry,  social  condition, 
internal  relations,  comity,  and,  in  a  word,  of  the  whole  state  of 
the  Hebrews,  and  their  rank  among  the  society  of  nations.  "What 
is  generally  popular  and  approved  among  the  masses  of  any  peo 
ple,  must  be  that  which  is  congruous  with  their  civil,  social,  and 
moral  condition.  What  they  thought,  and  felt,  and  said,  on  all 
the  great  problems  relating  to  a  social  state  and  the  respective 
rights  of  men,  in  regard  to  their  mutual  relations  and  depen 
dencies,  or  in  respect  to  their  moral  and  religious  views  and  feel 
ings,  —  all  this  is  completely  before  us,  in  the  picture  drawn  in 
the  book  of  Proverbs.  Not  that  there  were  no  dissenters  from 
many  of  its  maxims  ;  for  there  were  doubtless  bad  men  among 
them,  at  that  time ;  and  the  like  have  been  found  in  every  age 
and  among  every  nation.  But  the  mass  of  the  people  must  have 
been  of  a  different  character ;  for  how  else  could  they  relish 
and  heartily  approve  of  such  a  manual  of  ethics,  of  sobriety,  chas 
tity,  industry,  and  economy,  as  tho  book  boforo  us  contains  ?  In 


9 

this  book,  then,  is  virtually  contained  the  history  of  their  mental 
and  moral  state  and  progress,  -^*  a  history  more  minute,  more 
graphic,  more  extensive,  and,  I  may  add,  more  interesting,  than 
all  the  external  histories  of  the  nation  taken  together. 

And  what  story  does  this  tell  of  the  Hebrew  people,  in  the 
days  of  Solomon  ?  One,  I  venture  to  say,  that  the  proverbs  of 
no  nation  destitute  of  the  Bible  ever  did  or  can  tell.  I  have 
pursued  this  course  of  thought  to  some  length  in  my  Introduction 
to  the  book  ;  and  I  have  also  compared  a  .considerable  mass  of 
the  Arabic  and  Greek  proverbs  with  those  in  the  book  before  us. 
The  reader  may  now  judge  in  some  measure  for  himself,  whether 
foreign  nations  had  any  good  reason  to  despise  the  Hebrews.  All 
the  heathen  moralists  and  proverbialists  joined  together  cannot 
furnish  us  with  one  such  book,  as  that  of  the  Proverbs  in  the 
sacred  Scriptures. 

The  subject  is  one  of  deep  interest,  to  all  who  wish  to  acquire 
an  intimate  knowledge  of  the  mental  and  moral  state  of  the  He 
brews  in  ancient  times.  If  the  preceding  remarks  are  all  well 
grounded,  then  is  it  plain,  that  this  book  gives  a  better  insight 
into  their  manners  and  morals,  than  all  their  histories,  not  even 
excepting  the  sacred  ones.  If  the  student  will  carefully  peruse 
the  book  with  this  view  of  the  matter  before  him,  he  will  find 
himself  richly  repaid  in  the  end,  by  coming  at  most  interesting 
developments  of  the  Hebrew  national  character. 

The  book  in  its  present  form,  was  a  thing  of  gradual  accom 
plishment.  "  The  words  of  the  wise,"  in  22  :  17,  seq. ;  the  addi 
tions  made  by  "  the  men  of  Hezekiah,"  25  :  1,  seq.;  and  the  com 
positions  of  Agur  and  Lemuel,  30:  1,  seq.,  31:  1,  seq.;  are  all 
witnesses  to  the  correctness  of  this  statement.  But  all  these 
topics  are  amply  discussed  in  the  Introduction. 

I  have  only  to  add,*  that  I  have  purposely  adapted  my  work  to 
beginners  in  Hebrew  study.  Hence  the  minute  and  careful  solu 
tion  of  all  which  is  abnormal,  either  in  form,  idiom,  or  syntax.  It 
is  of  little  or  no  use  to  pursue  the  study  of  the  original  Scriptures, 
without  aiming  at  minute  philological  accuracy,  Half-way  be- 


10  PREFACE. 

tween  this  and  a  mere  popular  preaching  commentary,  is  the 
least  satisfactory  way  of  all.  It  is  too  high  for  the  common  reader, 
and  too  low  for  the  accurate  inquirer.  It  therefore  satisfies 
neither. 

Should  a  kind  Providence  still  preserve  me  in  life,  with  the 
power  of  action,  I  think  seriously  of  endeavoring,  at  some  future 
period,  to  write  a  commentary  on  this  book,  altogether  adapted  to 
common  readers,  that  is,  to  the  great  mass  of  our  population. 
There  is  no  book  on  earth  of  deeper  interest,  in  a  social,  moral, 
industrial,  and  economical  point  of  view,  than  the  book  of  Prov 
erbs.  May  and  should  it  not  have  a  wider  diffusion,  and  be  more 
read  and  studied,  and  better  understood  ?  I  believe  it  may,  if 
it  shall  be  duly  provided  with  popular  and  appropriate  illustra 
tions.  I  hesitate,  indeed,  as  to  my  own  competency  duly  to  per 
form  this  task ;  but  I  cannot  hesitate  as  to  cherishing  an  ardent 
desire  that  it  should  be  speedily  and  well  performed. 

MOSES  STUART. 

Andover,  1852. 


if 


t 

INTRODUCTION 


§  1.   Name  of  the  Book. 

THE  full  name  of  the  book  is  miys  h5'^j  Proverbs  of 
Solomon,  which  constitute  the  first  two  words  that  present 
themselves  in  the  text  to  the  reader.  More  commonly,  only 
the  first  of  these  words  is  employed  to  designate  the  book ; 
and  accordingly,  ^'iri  is  the  running  title  in  our  Hebrew 
Bibles;  and  in  our  English  ones,  the  common  appellation 
given  to  it  is  PROVERBS.  The  Talmud,  and  all  the  later 
Jews,  exhibit  the  like  usage.  In  Baba  Bathra  however 
(fol.  14.  6),  the  name  trzz'n  ^Bfc,  i.  e.  Book  of  Wisdom,  is 
given  both  to  this  book  and  to  that  of  Coheleth  or  Ecclesi- 
astes. 

In  the  Greek  Christian  fathers,  we  find  not  only  naQOifitat 
J£a^0juo0j>ro£,  (a  literal  translation  of  the  first  compound 
Hebrew  name),  but  very  frequently  meet  with  doqpta,  as  a 
title  for  the  book  ;  or,  as  Gregory  Nazianz.  has  it  (Orat.  xi.), 
we  also  meet  with  //  navaQ^rog  Goiftu.  This  last  designa 
tion  is  also  given  by  Clement  of  Rome  (i.  57)  ;  and  Eusebius 
(Hist.  Ecc.  iv.  22)  speaks  of  Hegesippus,  Irenaeus,  and 
others,  as  giving  to  Proverb?  the  same  title.  Semler  thinks 
this  to  be  the  title  of  an  apocryphal  book  of  Proverbs,  (Pref. 
to  Vogel's  edit,  of  Schultens  on  the  Prov.)  ;  but  without  any 
valid  reason.  Thus  much  however  is  true,  viz.,  that  the 
Christian  fathers  apply  nn.vnQKT.og  <jncf.?a  also  to  the  book  of 


12  §  1.  NAME  OF'  THE  BOOK. 

Sirach  and  the  Wisdom  of  Solomon  ;  see  Cotelerius  in  Episk 
Clem.  i.  57.  It  seems  probable,  that  the  Jews,  before  the 
writing  of  the  Talmud,  were  accustomed,  in  common  parlance 
at  least,  to  call  the  book  fr^n  ;  probably  because  of  the 
peculiar  wisdom  of  Solomon,  its  main  author,  or  because 
Wisdom  makes  so  conspicuous  a  figure  in  it,  and  is  often 
introduced  as  a  personage  speaking.  It  was  natural,  there 
fore,  to  name  her  words  ciocpi'a.  And  so,  in  imitation  of  this 
title  of  the  book,  we  have  a  late  apocryphal  one  which  is 
entitled  Goqt'a  Solopuivzog.  In  this  way  we  may  see  a 
sufficient  reason,  why  (in  Baba  Bathra  as  quoted  above) 
the  name  Book  of  Wisdom  was  employed. 

Our  English  word  Proverbs,  however,  or  the  German 
Spruche,  does  not  accurately  express  "b'£v  •  A  proverb 
usually  means  a  short  and  pithy  saying  which  is  often 
employed,  and  commonly  with  point  and  special  significancy* 
But  this  proverb  may  be  either  prose  or  poetry ;  and  more 
usually  with  us,  it  is  the  former.  Not  so  as  to  ^laa ,  Tlie 
word  Vita  means  comparison,  resemblance,  similitude.  But,, 
as  applied  to  the  book  of  Proverbs,  it  should  not  be  taken- 
as  meaning,  that  this  composition  in  a  peculiar  manner 
abounds  in  the  use  of  figurative  or  tropical  language  or 
similitudes.  In  fact,  Proverbs  is  quite  distinguished  from 
the  Psalms  and  Prophets,  by  the  comparative  infrequency 
of  such  language.  The  comparison  or  similitude,  in  the 
present  case,  belongs  not  so  much  to-  the  kind  of  diction,  a* 
to  the  poetic  parallelisms  everywhere  employed.  Scarcely  a 
single  proverb  is  completed  in  one  clause,  or  short  sentence. 
Nearly  every  verse  is  bimembral ;  a  few  only  are  trimem- 
hral :  and  still  fewer  have  four  or  more  clauses.  But  whether 
there  are  two,  or  three,  or  more  clauses,  they  are  always- 
adjusted  to  each  other  by  the  like-  measure  or  metre.  Being 
pla  'ed  side  by  side,  being  of  the  like  length,  and  usually 
standing  in  the  closest  connection,  they  form  a  basis  of  simil- 
ifitrlp,  even  in.  tlu>ir  external  form,  Theiv  internal  structure 


§  2.  DIVISIONS  OF  THE  BOOK.  IS 

helps  to  confirm  this  idea.     The  parallelisms  are  either  syn* 
onymous,  or  antithetic,  or  synthetic.     The  first  repeat,  in  the 
second  clause,  the  same  or  the  like  sentiment  which  is  devel 
oped  in  the  first  clause ;  the  second  place  the  two  clauses  in 
contrast,  or  antithesis  ;  and  the  third  continue  the  sentiment 
begun  in  the  first  clause,  by  adding  something  in  the  second, 
either  confirmatory  or  explanatory,  or  else   something  which 
advances  the  movement  of  thought.     In  this  case,  the  par 
allelism  is  one  of  measure,  or  metre,  rather  than  one  of  mean* 
ing.     Hence  the  position  side  by  side,  (in  the  last  case  as 
well  as  in  the  others),  the  like  length  of  the  clauses,  and  al 
least  the  general  correspondence  of  meaning,  all  naturalh 
lead  to  and  suggest  the  name  fViiia  .     This  name,  moreover 
is  appropriately  given  to  a  book  which  consists  wholly  of 
language  so  adjusted  and  measured,  that  all  parts  suggest 
the  idea  either  of  comparison  or  of  similarity. 

It  is  easy  now,  in  this  light,  to  see  the  special  significance 
of  the  Hebrew  name ;  while  our  English  one  does  not  serve 
at  all  to  characterize  the  manner  of  the  book,  (as  the  Hebrew 
designation  does),  but  merely  its  matter.  Most  of  the  latter 
(but  not  ail)  is,  indeed,  of  a  proverbial  and  gnomic  cast ;  but 
the  Hebrew  name  shows  that  this  matter  has  put  on  a  special 
and  poetic  costume,  in  respect  to  measure  and  arrangement. 
But  we  have  no  English  word  which  will  exactly  correspond 
with  the  Hebrew.  We  may  as  well  abide,  therefore,  by  the 
common  usage,  and  name  the  book,  as  is  wont,  the  PROVERBS, 


§  2.    Leading  Divisions  of  the  Book. 

Independently  of  striking  differences  in  the  style  and  mode 
of  composition,  in  various  portions  of  the  book,  there  are 
some  palpable  boundaries,  which  are  evidently  designed  to 
separate  one  part  from  another.  For  example,  there  are  at 
least  six  different  titles,  which  serve  to  show  where  a  new. 


14  §  2.  DIVISIONS  OF  THE  BOOK. 

separate,  and  different  composition  begins,  if  they  do  not 
indicate  a  new  and  different  writer. 

Prefixed  to  the  book  stands  a  general  title,  introductory  to 
the  whole,  and  comprehensive  of  the  whole.  This  is  in  chap. 
1 :  1 — 7.  First,  we  have  the  name,  Proverbs  of  Solomon, 
which  in  this  case  is  generic.  Then  follows  a  designation  of 
the  general  design  and  object  of  the  book,  which  comprehends 
all  parts  of  it.  The  book  not  only  teaches  how  to  acquire 
wisdom  and  instruction,  to  know  justice  and  judgment,  but 
also  "  to  understand  the  words  of  the  wise,  and  their  dark 
sayings"  v.  G.  Accordingly,  where  the  special  proverbs  of 
Solomon  (included  in  10 :  1 — 22:  16)  break  off,  the  words  of 
the  wise  constitutes  a  new  title,  22 :  17.  Dark  sayings,  or 
enigmas,  is  also  specially  significant,  and  has  reference,  in  all 
probability,  to  the  closing  part  of  the  book,  where  are  many 
of  this  character.  But  of  this,  more  in  the  sequel. 

Of  the  general  title,  then,  in  1:  1 — 7,  we  are  now  pre 
pared  to  make  some  estimate.  It  is  plain,  that  it  stands  at 
the  head  of  a  collection,  which  embraces  some  things  not 
written  by  Solomon,  but  by  other  wise  men.  That  this 
general  title  was  affixed  by  a  later  compiler,  will  also  appear 
more  plainly  in  the  sequel ;  for  this  general  title  evidently 
alludes  to  all  the  various  contents  of  the  book.  At  the 
same  time,  it  may,  and  perhaps  does,  serve  to  introduce  the 
first  part  of  the  work,  which  comprises  1:  8 — 9:  18,  for  two 
titles  might  be  deemed  superfluous.  This  first  division  is 
separated  from  all  the  rest  of  the  book,  by  both  manner 
and  matter.  In  what  particular  way  these  serve  as  a  line  of 
distinction  or  separation,  must  be  a  subsequent  question; 
for  at  present  we  are  concerned  only  with  the  titular  signs 
of  distinction. 

The  second  portion  of  the  book,  chap.  10:  1 — 22:  16, 
commences  with  a  new  and  simple  title,  viz.,  The  Proverbs 
of  Solomon.  In  style  and  character  these  are,  as  we  shall 


§  2.  DIVISIONS  OF  THE  BOOK.  15 

hereafter  see,  very  discrepant  from  the  first  nine  chapters. 
The  subordinate  and  internal  divisions  of  this  second  part, 
it  concerns  us  not  at  present  to  notice. 

The  third  division  begins  with  22:  17,  where  the  pupil  is 
admonished  to  hear  THE  WORDS  OF  THE  WISE.  These  too 
are  peculiar  in  their  manner,  and  somewhat  in  their  matter, 
and  they  extend  from  22 :  17  to  the  end  of  chap.  24.  "We 
shall  hereafter  see,  that  they  exhibit  plain  marks  of  an 
authorship  different  from  that  of  Solomon.  They  may  have 
passed  under  his  revision ;  but  they  differ  much  from  his 
proverbial  style.  There  too,  as  before,  is  a  subordinate 
division,  commencing  with  24 :  23,  and  ending  with  the 
same  chapter. 

The  fourth  division  is  made  by  the  title  in  25:1,  "  These 
are  the  Proverbs  of  Solomon,  which  the  men  of  Hezekiah  king 
of  Judah  copied  out."  These  have,  as  we  might  expect,  many 
traits  in  common  with  the  second  or  Solomonic  division, 
in  10:  1 — 22:  16.  They  exhibit,  also,  various  discrepan 
cies  of  manner,  which  show  that  the  plan  of  collecting  and 
arranging  here,  was  different  from  that  which  predominates 
through  the  whole  of  the  second  division.  There  are  some 
evident  tokens  that  this  fourth  division  was  copied  out,  by 
the  sacred  scribes  of  Hezekiah,  from  different  collections  or 
volumes  of  Proverbs,  current  at  that  period.  What  be 
longed  to  Solomon,  in  those  collections,  seems  to  have  been 
selected  by  the  scribes  from  among  other  proverbs,  and 
then  brought  together  by  them  into  one  little  volume.  The 
evidence  here  becomes  quite  clear,  that  our  present  book  of 
Proverbs  was  not  completed,  in  respect  to  the  final  and 
entire  compilation,  until  nearly  three  centuries  after  Solo 
mon  ;  (Solomon  f  975  ;  Hezekiah  f  698).  Before  the  labor 
of  selecting  and  copying  out,  performed  by  the  pious  king's 
scribes,  the  contents  of  Prov.  25:  1 — 29:  27,  would  seem  to 
have  been  circulated  in  connection  with  books  of  proverbs, 
different  from  the  second  division  of  the  compound  book 


16  §2.  DIVISIONS  of  THE  BOOK, 

now  before  us,  viz.  10:  1—22:  16.  A  title,  which  gives  US 
a  history  like  that  here  given,  is  rarely,  if  at  all,  found 
anywhere  else  in  the  Scriptures* 

The  ffth  division  consists  of  chap.  30 ;  which,  as  its  title 
indicates,  appears  to  be  the  work  of  Agur,  a  son  of  the 
queen  of  Massa.  But  if  no  special  title  had  designated  this 
chapter  as  coming  from  a  hand  different  from  that  of  Solo 
mon,  yet  the  contents  themselves  would  offer  satisfactory 
proof  of  this.  The  style  and  manner  are  altogether  differ- 
ent  from  anything  else  in  the  book  of  Proverbs,  or  in  the 
Old  Testament. 

The  sixth  division  consists  properly  of  the  words  of  Lem 
uel,  in  chap.  31 :  1 — 9  ;  but  if  we  make  the  division  more  gen 
eral,  it  embraces  the  whole  of  the  last  chapter.  Yet  a  sub 
division,  in  this  case,  seems  necessary,  since  the  eulogy  of  the 
virtuous  woman,  in  31 :  10 — 31,  is  entirely  different  from 
anything  else  in  the  whole  book.  The  song  is  alphabetical, 
i.  e.  each  successive  clause  begins  with  each  successive  letter 
in  the  alphabet.  This  is  artistic  beyond  any  other  example 
in  the  book  ;  but  still  the  piece  is  one  of  the  most  simple  and 
beautiful  specimens  of  lyric  eulogy  that  can  be  found  in  the 
Hebrew  writings.  Who  wrote  it?  is  a  question  for  discus 
sion  in  the  sequel.  It  would  seem  probable  (see  Comm,  on 
*>():  1),  that  Agur  and  Lemuel  were  brothers,  and  sons  of 
the  same  queen  of  Massa ;  and  not  improbably,  moreover, 
the  beautiful  picture  of  the  "  virtuous  woman"  was  drawn 
by  the  hand  of  that  fortunate  and  excellent  mother.  What 
Lemuel  writes,  is  in  fact  and  confessedly  only  a  repetition 
of  the  excellent  advice  which  his  mother  gave  him ;  and 
she,  who  could  give  such  advice,  might  also  draw  the  picture 
in  question. 

The  reader  must  not  be  startled  with  the  apprehension, 
that  we  are  about  to  bring  in  foreigners  and  unknown  per 
sons,  as  writers  of  a  part  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures.  If  he 
will  turn  to  the  Comra.  on  30:  1,  he  may  find  reason  to 


§3.     WHY    ONE    COMMON    NAME?  17 

believe,  that  Massa  was  held  and  inhabited  by  the  sons  of 
Simeon,  i.  e.  by  Hebrews,  during  the  reign  of  Hezekiah,  and 
probably  for  some  time  afterwards  ;  see  1  Chron.  4:  41 — 43. 
Inasmuch  as  chaps,  xxx.  xxxi.  stand  last  in  the  book,  and 
after  the  portion  copied  out  by  the  men  of  Hezekiah  king 
of  Judah,  it  is  probable  that  they  were  obtained  last  of  all, 
by  the  final  compiler  of  the  book.  I  speak  of  compiler, 
because  the  inscription  in  25  :  1,  shows  beyond  all  doubt, 
that  the  collection  of  the  whole,  and  the  uniting  of  them  in 
one  compact  body,  was  a  work  performed  at  least  about 
three  centuries  later  than  the  time  of  Solomon. 


§  3.    Why  is  one  common  name  given  to  the  whole  ? 

Certainly  not,  as  we  have  seen,  because  that  Solomon 
wrote  the  whole ;  for  the  testimony  of  the  book  itself  de 
cides  against  this,  beyond  any  appeal.  And  if  it  did  not, 
the  contents  of  the  book  would  speak  against  universal 
sameness  of  authorship.  Still,  Solomon  appears  to  have 
been  the  principal  author.  Chap.  10:  1 — 22:  1G  are  plainly 
his  ;  and  so  25 :  1 — 29  :  27.  These  constitute  a  very  large 
portion  of  the  book.  From  chap.  x.  to  the  end  of*  the  work, 
we  have  only  four  and  a  half  chapters  which  appear  to  have 
come  from  other  hands.  More  difficult  is  it  to  decide 
respecting  the  first  division,  viz.,  1  :  8 — 9  :  18.  The  gen 
eral  title  (1:  1 — 7),  as  we  have  seen  above,  refers  to  other 
words  than  those  of  Solomon,  viz.,  the  words  of  the  wise, 
comp.  22:17 — 24:34;  and  under  these  we  may  also 
arrange  chaps,  xxx.  xxxi.,  for  Agur,  Lemuel,  and  the  queen- 
mother,  were  doubtless  among  the  wise.  But  whether  the 
general  title  to  the  whole  compilation,  (inasmuch  as  it  refers 
to  the  different  parts  of  the  whole),  specifically  designates 
also  the  first  nine  chapters,  is  a  question  about  which  one 
may  be  at  a  loss.  If  the  title  should  be  interpreted,  as 
designating  what  follows  immediately  as  bolon_<ringr  to  Solo- 
9* 


18  §0.     WllY    ONE    COMMON    NAME? 

mon  alone,  then  it  would  seem  very  strange,  that  this  title 
should  be  formally  repeated  again,  in  10:  1.  What  need 
of  this,  in  case  there  was  no  distinction  between  what  pre 
cedes,  and  what  follows,  as  to  authorship  ?  Nay,  the  very 
fact  that  such  a  title  stands  in  10:  1,  creates,  as  it  has  been 
alleged,  a  doubt  of  course,  whether  what  precedes  belongs 
to  Solomon.  The  natural  implication,  it  is  said,  would  seem 
to  be,  that  what  had  preceded  did  not  belong  to  him.  And 
if  to  this  we  add  the  circumstance,  that  1:  1 — 7  is,  to  all 
appearance,  merely  a  generic  title  of  the  whole  book,  then, 
it  is  further  said,  we  seem  to  have  no  evidence  before  us,  as 
to  the  authorship  of  1:  8 — 9:  18.  Yet  this  is  not  quite  so 
conclusive,  as  it  seems  at  first  view  to  be.  The  plain  truth 
is,  that  10:1,  seq.  is  so  wholly  different  in  its  tone  and 
texture  from  what  precedes,  that  it  doubtless  belonged 
originally  to  a  little  book  by  itself,  which  had  the  title  that 
now  stands  connected  with  it.  Solomon  may  then  have 
written  some,  or  (so  far  as.  this  matter  is  concerned)  even 
all,  of  what  precedes,  since  no  adequate  evidence  against 
this  can  be  made  out  from  the  title  in  10  :  1.  But  it  seems 
equally  probable,  (as  we  shall  see  by  and  by),  that  there 
may  be  works  of  more  than  one  author  in  Part  I.  Still, 
the  name  of  Solomon  may  be  given  to  the  whole  book,  for  a 
reason  like  to  that  which  makes  the  book  of  Psalms  to  be 
styled  David  in  the  New  Testament,  and  also  leads  us 
to  speak  every  day  of  David's  Psalms,  meaning  thereby  the 
whole  book  of  Psalms,  although  David  did  not  write  much 
more  than  half  of  the  book.  The  Proverbs  of  Solomon  is  a 
short,  a  good,  and  an  easy  name  for  the  whole, —  a  name  which 
rests  on  the  ground  of  the  old  maxim :  A  potiori  nomen  Jit. 
Solomon  wrote  most  of  the  book.  Solomon  was  the  author 
of  at  least  three  thousand  proverbs,  1  Kings  4:  32  ;  he  was 
therefore  a  great  master  of  gnomic  lore  ;  he  was  wise  above 
all  other  men,  and  the  book  of  Proverbs  extols  wisdom 
more  than  anv  othor  hook  :  nml  flnnllv.  ho  wns  the  great 


§  ••!.   CHARACTERISTICS  or  PART  I.  19 

exemplar  or  pattern  in  the  art  (if  I  may  so  speak)  of 
gnomic  writing;  and  so  the  book  may  well  be  named  as  it 
now  is.  If  it  is  not  all  Solomon's,  it  is  nearly  all  alter  the 
general  manner  of  Solomon ;  and  from  him,  as  the  highest 
master  of  gnomic  composition,  it  may  appropriately  receive 
its  name. 


§  4.   Arrangement  and   Characteristics  of  Part  I.,  including 
1:8—9:  18. 

(1)  As  arranged  in  the  Hebrew,  this  part  consists  of  two 
hundred  and  forty-seven  verses.     Nearly  all  of  these  are 
simple  parallelisms,  i.  e.  they  consist  of   two  members  or 
clauses  in  each  verse.     Only  eleven  triplets  are  found,  in  the 
whole.1     The    distribution   of    the   parallelisms,   as    to   the 
different   species    of    them,   is    very    unequal.     If    I    have 
reckoned  rightly,  there  are  two  hundred  and  nine  synony 
mous  parallelisms;  thirty-six  synthetic;  and  only  four  anti 
thetic,  which  last  are  all  in  one  group,  viz. :  3 :  32 — 35.     In 
the  whole  two  hundred  and  forty-seven  verses,  we  have  only 
eleven  exceptions  to  bimcmbral  parallelism ;  and  these  con 
tain  each  three  clauses. 

(2)  From  this  survey  of  the  kinds  of  parallelism,  it  is 
evident  that  Part  I.  differs  widely  from  the  style  and  man 
ner  of  Part  II.     Here,  c.  10—15  exhibit  one  hundred  and 
eighty-six  antithetic  verses,  and  only  twenty-three  synthetic  ; 
while  c.  1G — 22:  16  reverse  this  order,  and  exhibit  twenty- 
four   antithetic,  and    one    hundred    and  fifty-nine  synthetic. 
But  in  neither  of  these  two  divisions  of  Part  II.  do  \ve  find 
the  synonymous  parallelism  at  all ;  while  in  Part  I.  there 
are  two  hundred  and  nine  to  thirty-six  synthetic  and  four 
antithetic.    These  parallelistic  distinctions,  therefore,  between 
the    two   divisions,  are   of    a   most   palpable    and   striking 


1  These  are  in   1:  22,  23,  27.  3:  X.  4 :  4.  f>:  19.  6  :  3,  13.  7:  23.  ft :  13. 
9  :  2. 


'20  §  4.   CHARACTERISTICS  OF  PART  I. 

nature.  Specially  is  this  the  case  with  c.  10 — 15,  where  the 
antithetic  equals  one  hundred  and  eighty-six,  the  synthetic 
arc  only  twenty-three,  and  there  are  no  synonymous  parallel 
isms.  Yet  this  last  species  makes  up  almost  the  entirety  of 
Part  I.  What  bearing  this  may  have  on  the  sameness  of 
authorship  in  both  cases,  will  come  in  due  time  to  be 
discussed. 

(3)  Part  II.,  i.e.  10:1—22:16,  contains  only  three 
verses,  (19:  7,  23.  21:  20),  where  the  triplet  is  employed; 
and  even  in  these,  there  is  synthetic  parallelism.  In  this 
division,  moreover,  no  subject  is  continued  so  as  to  comprise 
more  than  one  verse  or  sentence.  This  last  circumstance 
is  very  striking,  when  contrasted  with  Part  I.  Here  the 
same  subject  is  continued,  in  2,  3,  4,  5,  10,  15,  and  even  up 
to  25  verses  ;  and  this  occurs  so  constantly,  that  connected 
and  in  some  degree  prolonged  discourse  is,  we  may  well  say, 
altogether  the  usual  order  of  the  day.1  I  find  only  four 
cases  out  of  the  whole  in  which  a  subject  is  completed  by 
one  verse,  viz.  3 :  30,  33 — 35.  This  certainly  is  very  re 
markable,  and  has  nothing  like  to  it  in  extent,  in  any  other 
portions  of  the  book  of  Proverbs,  and  very  little  which  is 
like  to  it  even  in  kind.  Only  23:  29—35.  24:  30—34.  27: 
23—27.  31:  3—7,  10—31,  afford  specimens  (all  excepting 
one  are  brief)  of  the  like  nature,  throughout  all  the  rest  of 
the  book.  Most  distinctly  marked,  then,  is  Part  I.,  as  to 
treating  subjects  continuously,  and  constituting  a  kind  of 
short  discourse,  rather  than  a  gnome ;  for  this  is  the  char 
acter  and  tenor  of  the  composition  in  this  Part.  All  these 
things  seem  to  plead  strongly  for  different  authors ;  but  the 

1  E.g.  (1)  8  and  9,  10—19.20—33.  (2)  1  —  9,  10—15,  16—19.  20— 
23.  (3)  1  and  2.  3  and  4.  5  mid  6,  7  and  8.  9  and  10,  1 1  and  12,  13—18, 
19  and  20,  21  — 24;  25  and  26,  27—29,  31  and  «2.  (4)  1  and  2.  3—6, 
7_95  10—13,  14—19.  20—22,  23—27.  (5)  1  and  2,  3  —  14,  15—21,  22 
and  23.  (6)  1—5,  6—11,  12—15,  16—19,  20—23,  24—35.  (7)  1—5, 
6_27.  (g)  l  —  ll,  12—36.  '9)  1—6.  7—9.  10—12.  13—18. 


§  4.    CHARACTERISTICS  OF  PART  I.  21 

discussion  of  this   question  must   be   deferred,  for  a  little 
time. 

(4)  A  subordinate  and  artistic  classification  appears,  here 
and  there,  in  groups  of  tens.     So  1:  10—19.  3:  1 — 10,  11— 
20.    4:  10—19.   8:  12—21,  22—31.     The   like  of  this  we 
meet  with   nowhere  else,  in   this    book.     I  call   it  artistic, 
because,  somewhat  like  that  of  the  alphabetical  Psalms,  such 
an  arrangement  appears  to  be  purposely  made,  for  the  sake 
of  aiding  the  memory. 

(5)  Many  paragraphs    in  Part  I.  are  headed  with   the 
address:  My  soft.1      This  appears  nowhere  in  Part  II.,  and 
but  very  rarely  in  the  latter  part  of  the  book.     But  this 
address  does  not  stand  at  the  head  of  every  new  and  distinct 
paragraph,  although  it  serves  to  distinguish  paragraphs  so 
far  as  it  goes.     It  is  easy,  however,  to  distinguish  them  by 
the  subject-matter  of  their  contents,  without  the  aid  of  such 
an  address.     This  is  another   striking  point  of   difference 
between  Parts  I.  and  II.,  on  which  we  must  touch  again 
hereafter. 

(6)  Some  of  the  most  extended  sentences  in  all  the  Bible, 
are  found  in  Part  I.     For  example,  the  whole  of  chap.  ii. 
(twenty-two  verses)  is  in  reality  but  one  sentence.     Then 
again,  examine  1:  29 — 33,  which   is  virtually  of  the  same 
description;  and  so  6:  20—26.    7:  6—20.  8:  22—31.  9:  13 
— 18,  with   many  others    of   less   extent   indeed,  but   still 
longer  than  is  elsewhere  common  in  the  book  of  Proverbs. 
This  is,  at  least,  a  circumstance  that  must  be  brought  into 
the  account,  when  we  come  to  inquire  about  autliorship. 

(7)  The  name  of    t^rt'?!*  occurs    nowhere    in    Proverbs, 
except  in  2 :  <3,  1 7,  and  in  the  little  work  of  Agur,  30 :  5,  9. 
Everywhere  else  rvirn  is  employed,  to  designate  the  Godhead. 
To  speak  in  the  language  of  some  recent  critics,  the  authors 
were  Jehovists,  and  not  Elohists.     And  such  being  the  case, 


E.  £.   1:  8.  10.   2:  1.   3:  I.  11.   4  :  10.  20.   5     t.   6  :  1 ,  20.    7:  1. 


22  §  4.    CHARACTERISTICS  OF  PART  1. 

would  it  not  seem  probable,  that  this  second  chapter  came 
from  the  hand  of  a  person,  who  was  different  from  the  other 
writers  ?  We  must  weigh  this  in  the  sequel. 

(8)  The  poetic  character  of  some  portions  of  Part  I.,  is 
greatly  elevated  above  the  rest  of  the  book,  with  the  excep 
tion,  perhaps,  of  31:  10 — 31,  which  contains  the  exquisite 
eulogy  of  a  virtuous  woman.    In  solemn  and  awful  grandeur, 
1:  20 — 33  is  hardly  surpassed  by  any  monitory  passage  of 
the  sublime  Isaiah.     Indeed,  it  reminds  one  of  many  pas 
sages  of  a  like  nature  in  this  prophet.     There  we  have  that 
lofty  and   glowing   description    of  Wisdom,  in   8:  12 — 3G, 
hardly  surpassed  by  any  scriptural  writer.     Such  is  the  all- 
pervading  spirit  of  the  poet  which  breathes  through  it,  that 
on  an  aesthetical  ground  it  can  well  claim  a  high  preemi 
nence.     Then,  in  7:  G — 27,  is    a   picture   of  the    "  strange 
woman,"  which  for  vivacity,  simplicity,  and  graphic  power, 
has  seldom  been  exceeded.    Nothing  can  be  more  discrepant 
than  these  pieces  are,  from  the  poetry  which  pervades  not 
only  Part  II.,  but  the  whole  book,  with  some  two  or  three 
exceptions  of  a  very  limited  extent.     The  cause  of  this  differ 
ence  in  style  is  not  merely  the  different  subject-matter  of  Part 
1.  and  that  of  the  rest  of  the  book  ;  for  there  is  plainly  another 
and  different  spirit  in  the  lofty  aspirations  of  the  first  portion 
of  the  book  from  that  of  the  rest.     One  is  constrained  to 
feel  that  he  is  in  different  company,  when  he  reads  Part  I., 
and  then  the  rest  of  the  Proverbs.     Still,  as  there  is  almost 
always  some  room  for  debate,  where  taste  merely  is  con 
cerned,  we  must  not  place  so  much  reliance  on  this  aestheti 
cal  judgment,  as  on  plain  and  simple  matters  of  fact. 

(9)  In  case  the  compositions  of  different  authors  are  com 
prised  in  Part  I.,  there  is  still  a  pervading  unity  of  design 
in  the  whole.     The  principal  design  of  all  is,  to  lead  the 
young  in  the  way  of  happiness  and  peace ;  to  warn  them 
against  the  dangers  and  attractive  temptations  which  often 
assail  them  ;  and  to  show  them  that  they  will  be  safe  only 


§  5.   AuTHOiiSHir  OF  PART  I.  23 

by  acquiring  that  heavenly  wisdom,  which  will  guide  them 
in  attaining  to  the  highest  good.  There  are  indeed,  here 
and  there,  a  few  brief  passages  which  are  apparently  iso 
lated  ;  e.  g.  3 :  30 — 35.  But  almost  throughout  the  whole, 
the  main  objects  which  have  been  stated  are  in  view. 

"We  have  now  before  us  the  design  and  the  individual 
characteristics  of  Part  I.  We  seem,  then,  in  some  good 
measure,  to  have  prepared  the  way  for  the  discussion  of  the 
questions  which  yet  remain. 

• 

§  5.    Where  and  by  whom  was  Parti,  composed  ? 

We  put  first  the  question :  Is  it  the  work  of  one  writer, 
or  of  several  ? 

Some  facts  in  respect  to  Part  I.  seem  to  have  an  impor 
tant  bearing  on  this  question.  It  is  a  fact,  that  the  same 
subject,  specially  in  regard  to  two  prominent  topics,  is  very 
often  repeated;  and  this  not  merely  by  slight  allusions  and 
recognitions  en  passant,  but  by  formal  and  protracted  dis 
cussions  or  representations.  For  example:  The  "strange 
woman"  is  not  only  described,  with  warnings  and  admoni 
tions  subjoined  in  2:  16 — 19,  but  in  the  fifth  chapter  the 
subject  is  resumed,  and  carried  on  through  the  whole  of  it. 
In  6 :  20 — 35,  it  appears  again  with  very  considerable  detail. 
But  even  this  does  not  suffice.  Chap.  7  :  1 — 27,  resumes  the 
subject,  and  carries  it  on  through  all  the  minutiae  of  tempta 
tions.  But  while  one  is  by  this  time  ready  to  think,  that 
nothing  more  can  be  said  in  regard  to  the  strange  woman, 
she  makes  her  appearance  once  more,  in  9 :  13 — 18.  It  is 
indeed  true,  that  all  these  descriptions  vary  from  each  other, 
in  many  respects.  The  costume  is  not  at  all  the  same 
throughout.  But  the  person  is  the  same  in  all. 

What  are  we  now  to  say,  in  view  of  this  ?  Is  there  any 
tolerable  probability,  that  the  same  writer,  within  so  short  a 
compass,  repeated  his  subject  at  length  five  different  times  ? 


24  §  o.    AUTHORSHIP  OF  PART  I. 

Certainly  this  is  not  the  usual  method  of  writing,  among 
intelligent  men ;  and  surely  not  in  a  continuous  composition. 
In  a  large  volume,  repetitions  may  occur  through  forgetful- 
ness,  and  the  writer  may  be  pardonable  for  them.  But  that 
such  oblivion  could  come  over  a  writer,  in  a  composition  so 
brief  as  that  of  Part  I.,  is  hardly  to  be  credited.  Why  did 
he  not  say  all  that  he  had  to  say  on  this  subject,  in  one 
continuous  composition  ?  There  seems  to  be  no  assignable 
good  reason  for  so  often  quitting  and  resuming  the  same 
subject.  Certainly,  it  makes  rather  strongly  against  the 
unity  of  authorship,  when  we  find  these  repetitions  so  fre 
quently  made.  It  is  a  much  more  probable  solution  of  the 
difficulty,  to  suppose  that  the  compositions  of  different 
writers  on  the  same  subject,  are  brought  together  here  by  a 
compiler,  and  united  in  one  piece.  It  was  a  subject  in  the 
time  of  Solomon,  which  must  have  assumed  a  grave  and 
threatening  aspect.  The  golden  age  of  that  king,  was  one 
in  which  wealth  and  splendor,  and  luxury,  and  consequently 
sensuality,  very  much  abounded.  At  least,  if  we  are  to 
judge  of  it  by  Solomon's  own  example,  we  must  surely 
come  to  such  a  conclusion.  This  state  of  things  seems  to 
have  reused  up  holy  seers  and  men  of  God.  In  different 
ways  they  attacked  a  prevailing  vice ;  and  the  compiler  of 
the  book  of  Proverbs,  or  perhaps  Solomon  himself,  seems  to 
have  selected  the  most  urgent  and  persuasive  appeals  of 
these  men,  and,  for  the  sake  of  impression,  combined  them 
all  in  one  book.  Hence  the  repetitions ;  and  these  are 
indeed  so  frequent,  that  we  can  scarcely  deem  it  probable 
that  they  were  made  by  one  and  the  same  writer. 

But  the  example  of  repetitions  on  the  subject  of  incon 
tinence,  does  not  stand  alone.  There  is  another,  which  at 
least  is  equally  conspicuous.  I  refer  to  that  of  Wisdom.  In 
1 :  20 — 33,  her  awful  warnings  are  uttered.  In  chap,  ii.,  she 
is  found  again  giving  her  instructions.  In  3  :  13 — 20,  is  a 
most  attractive  and  beautiful  picture  of  her.  In  chap.  iv. 


§  5.   AUTHORSHIP  OF  PART  I.  2o 

she  again  appears  as  an  instructor. .  In  v.  and  vi.  she  warns 
against  various  vices,  specially  against  sloth  and  incontinence. 
In  chap.  vii.  she  again  admonishes  and  advises  in  respect  to 
the  latter  vice.  In  chap.  viii.  she  is  personified,  and  a  most 
magnificent  description  of  her  is  given.  In  ix.  she  reappears 
once  more",  and  employs  all  her  powers  of  persuasion  to 
attract  learners,  and  make  them  docile.  The  repetition  here 
is  on  the  whole  even  more  frequent  than  in  the  former  case, 
although  the  descriptions,  in  this  case,  excepting  in  chap, 
viii.,  are  not  so  protracted  as  in  the  first  case.  Still,  it  is 
hardly  supposable,  that  one  and  the  same  writer  would  have 
repeated  the  same  subject  so  often,  within  so  limited  a  piece 
of  composition.  It  is,  at  least,  easier  to  account  for  such 
repetition,  on  the  ground  that  several  writings  are  here  com 
bined,  than  on  the  ground  that  here  is  only  one  and  the 
same  writer. 

More  especially  must  we  feel  constrained  to  adopt  such  a 
solution  here,  because  the  discrepancy  of  style  is  so  great 
between  different  portions  of  Part  I.  Read,  for  example, 
1 :  20—33,  and  then  compare  this  with  any  other  piece  in  this 
first  part.  That  in  chap.  viii.  may  equal  or  surpass  it  as  to 
the  sublime  of  poetry,  but  hardly  in  the  powerful  impression 
which  it  makes.  But  that  the  two  pieces  are  wide  asunder 
in  manner,  is  evident  at  first  sight,  and  particularly  to  any 
one  familiar  with  the  original  Hebrew. 

Admitting,  then,  what  we  seem  to  be  constrained  to  admit, 
viz.  that  there  are  several  authors  "concerned  with  Part  I.; 
who  wrere  they  ?  And  was  Solomon  one  of  them  ? 

On  the  first  question  we  have  no  more  to  say,  than  that  they 
are  not  specifically  disclosed  in  chaps,  i — ix.  Nor  has  any 
history  known  to  us  given  an  account  of  them.  We  judge, 
then,  only  as  led  by  the  force  of  internal  evidence,  arising 
from  the  many  repetitions  of  the  same  subject,  and  the  differ 
ence  among  them  in  point  of  style.  I  say  style,  and  not 
diction  merely,  because  the  diction  itself,  although  slightly 


26  §  5,  AUTHORSHIP  OF  PART  L 

Taxied,  has  no  such  diversity  as  to  afford  any  good!  basis  for 
sound  critical  reasoning  against  sameness  of  authorship.  One 
thing  may  be  said  in  passing,  in  respect  to  diction,  viz.  that 
the  whole  book  most  clearly  belongs  not  to  the  very  late 
Hebrew.  It  is  quite  a  different  book  from  Coheleth.  Chalda- 
isms  and  Syriasms  may  indeed,  in  a  few  cases,  be  found  in 
it,  but  not  more  than  in  any  piece  of  Old  Testament  poetry 
which  is  of  equal  length.  It  seems  quite  clear  from  the 
general  tenor  of  the  diction  throughout  the  book,  that  it  must 
have  been  written  in  the  middle  age  of  the  Hebrew,  L  e, 
between  the  time  of  Solomon  and  that  of  Josiah.  There  is 
a  strong  probability  that  most  of  it  was  in  writing  long  before 
the  time  of  Hezekiah ;  for  his  sacred  scribes  added  no  new 
compositions  of  their  owny  but  merely  copied  out  some  of 
Solomon's  works,  which  already  existed  in  other  and  previous 
volumes.  That  there  was  still  remaining  very  much  which 
they  did  not  copy,  is  clear  from  the  fact,  that  Solomon  wrote 
three  thousand  proverbs  (1  K.  4 :  32)  ;  while,  in  the  whole 
book  of  Proverbs  now  before  us,  there  are  only  nine  hundred 
and  seventeen  verses,  and  of  course  considerably  fewer 
proverbs,  since  many  of  them  consist  of  two  or  more  verses 
each. 

Writers  contemporary  with  Solomon  would  be  likely  of 
course  to  employ  a  diction  similar  to  his ;  but  the  style  of 
each  individual  would  be  different  from  that  of  the  others ; 
and  such  a  difference  as  it  is  natural  to  suppose,  we  may 
easily  find  in  Part  I.  •  I  concede  it  to  be  possible,  that  the 
same  individual  might,  at  different  times,  have  composed  the 
various  pieces  in  Part.  I.;  because  the  discrepance  between 
the  parts  is  not  sufficient  of  itself  to  settle  the  question  deci 
sively  about  sameness  or  severalty  of  authorship.  But  other 
reasons  combine  with  this,  to  make  probable  a  diversity  of 
authorship. 

I  must  request  the  reader,  in  view  of  tl  iis,  to  cast  his  eye 
again  on  Nos.  1  and  2  above;  where  he  will  see,  that  nearly 


§  5.   AUTHORSHIP  OF  PART  I.  27 

the  whole  of  Part  I.  is  made  up  of  synonymous  parallelisms, 
while  in  Part  II.,  (the  expressly  acknowledged  genuine  work 
of  Solomon),  there  is  none  at  all  of  this  kind  of  writing.  It 
is  possible,  that  a  writer,  in  consequence  of  a  special  and 
designed  plan,  might  purposely  adopt  these  different  modes 
of  writing.  But  plans  of  so  artificial  a  nature  are  not  com 
mon  in  ancient  writings,  and  specially  in  the  biblical  ones. 
The  discrepance  is  so  great  in  this  case,  that  some  design  of 
this  kind  in  the  writer  must  be  made  probable,  or  else  we 
must  attribute  that  discrepance  to  difference  of  authorship. 
Then  again,  it  is  a  fact  (see  No.  3),  that  all  of  Part  II. 
exhibits  the  completion  of  a  subject  within  the  compass  of  one 
and  the  same  verse ;  while  in  Part  I.  there  are  only  four 
verses  which  resemble  Part  II.  in  this  respect.  It  may  have 
been  through  design,  for  this  plainly  is  possible  ;  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  everything  wears  the  appearance  of  being  written 
without  any  particular  plan  of  this  kind ;  and  if  so,  it  is 
natural  to  suppose  a  diversity  of  authorship. 

The  groups  of  tens  in  Part  I.  (No.  4),  and  the  frequent 
addresses,  My  son,  (No.  5),  which  are  nowhere  found  in  Part 
II.,  serve  to  widen  the  discrepancy  of  manner  between  the 
two  writings.  The  extended  and  very  long  sentences  in 
Part  I.  (No.  6),  to  which  there  is  no  resemblance  in  Part 
II. ;  and  also  the  use  of  Elohim  in  Part  I.,  and  there  only 
as  it  respects  the  mass  of  the  composition  (No.  7)  ;  help  to 
widen  the  same  breach.  And,  as  we  have  just  seen  above 
(No.  9),  the  poetic  spirit  and  range  in  Part  I.  is  widely  dif 
ferent  from  that  in  Part  II.  As  I  have  already  said,  it  is 
possible  that  the  same  man,  through  special  design,  might 
write  in  this  varied  manner;  but  is  this  a  probable  thing? 
It  seems  to  me  that  it  is  not.  I  see  no  difficulty  in  ascribing 
to  the  prophets  and  holy  men  of  Solomon's  time,  the  composi 
tion  of  some  parts  of  i — ix. ;  for  then  they  stand  on  the  same 
ground  as  to  authority  with  that  of  Solomon's  writings  ;  and 
the  supposition  of  diverse  authors  remove?  most  or  all  of  the 


28  §  5.   AUTHORSHIP  OF  PART  I. 

difficulties  which  have  been  brought  to  view.  Why  then 
may  we  not  admit  it  ? 

But  supposing  we  do  admit  it  ;  is  Solomon,  who  unques 
tionably  wrote  Part  II.,  to  come  in  for  a  share  in  Part  I.  ? 
Are  not  the  discrepancies  of  style  and  mode  of  arrangement 
so  great  between  the  two,  as  to  preclude  the  idea  of  Solomon's 
authorship  as  to  any  portion  of  Part  I.  ? 

We  must  call  to  mind  here,  that  Solomon  was  an  exten 
sive  and  very  prolific  writer.  He  not  only  composed  three 
thousand  proverbs,  but  wrote  one  thousand  and  five  songs, 
besides  his  treatises  (we  know  not  how  many)  on  botany  and 
zoology.  "  Would  they  had  all  been  spared  to  us  ! "  we  are 
prone  to  say.  Then  we  might  peruse,  to  their  full  extent, 
the  writings  of  the  wisest  man  in  ancient  times.  But  a  holy 
Providence  knows  what  is  best ;  and  it  is  quite  probable, 
that  we  now  have  the  most  select  and  profitable  part  of  the 
wise  king's  writings.  But  to  return ;  a  man  who  wrote  so 
much,  and  on  such  a  variety  of  things,  must  have  possessed 
an  uncommon  power  of  composing,  and  this  power  was  exer 
cised  in  a  variety  of  ways.  This  being  admitted,  we  might 
say,  perhaps,  that  the  last  portion  of  Part  I.,  viz.  chaps. 
6 :  20 — 9  :  18,  (which  seems  to  be  but  one  extended  dis 
course),  may  have  come  from  the  hand  of  Solomon.  It  is, 
at  all  events,  well  worthy  of  him.  Chaps,  vii.  viii.  and  a 
part  of  ix.,  are  in  a  style  of  finish,  beauty,  and  magnificence, 
which  well  becomes  the  celebrated  and  learned  king.  This 
differs,  I  readily  concede,  quite  widely  from  Part  II. ;  but 
we  must  call  to  mind,  that  the  kind  of  writing  is  entirely 
different.  The  proper  gnomic  does  not  at  all  belong  to 
Part  I. ;  while  all  of  Part  II.  is  gnomic.  The  vivid  picture 
in  chap,  vii.,  and  the  lofty  strains  of  chap,  viii.,  well  become 
what  we  may  suppose  to  have  been  the  genius  and  mental 
power  of  such  a  king. 

But  why  not  extend  the  like  reasoning  to  the  whole  of 
Part  I.  ?  Because  this  would  present  the  inexplicable  diffi- 


§  5.  AUTHORSHIP  OF  PART  I.  29 

culties  already  adverted  to  and  described  above,  viz.  those 
which  would  attach  to  a  repetition  of  the  same  subject  so  often, 
and  in  such  a  narrow  space,  by  the  same  individual  writer. 
We  have  acknowledged  the  possibility  of  one  and  the  same 
authorship  throughout ;  but  the  probability  against  it  is  too 
strong  to  be  overcome  by  anything  short  of  some  positive 
evidence  ;  and  this  we  have  not.  . 

But  what  of  the  inscription  or  introduction,  1:  1 — 7  ?  Does 
not  this  attribute  the  whole  to  Solomon  ?  This  subject  has 
been  already  discussed  (§  2.  §  3.)  ;  and  we  have  seen  that 
this  introduction  has  reference  to  the  whole  book,  some  parts 
of  which,  (e.  g.  22  :  17 — 24  :  34  and  xxx.  xxxi.),  are  surely 
not  from  Solomon's  pen.  We  have  seen,  then,  that  the 
inscription  is  generic,  and  not  specific  ;  and  that  the  book  is 
Solomon's  in  a  like  (or  even  in  a  stronger)  sense  than  the 
book  of  Psalms  is  David's.  It  does  not  follow,  therefore, 
from  this  inscription,  that  we  are  obliged  by  it  to  ascribe  all, 
or  even  any,  of  Part  I.  to  Solomon.  But  inasmuch  as  other 
authors  are  not  here  expressly  intimated,  we  may  well  sup 
pose  that  Solomon  himself  brought  Part  I.  into  its  present 
form,  by  selecting  from  other  prophets  or  holy  men  of  God, 
what  would  well  accord  with  his  great  design,  viz.  to  recom 
mend  wisdom,  and  to  show  its  high  importance.  Hence  the 
repetitions  ;  hence  the  discrepancies  of  style.  And  if  he  not 
only  wrote  6:  20 — 9:  18,  but  compiled  the  rest,  well  might 
the  work  be  attributed  to  Solomon.  There  is  nothing  in  the 
language  or  manner  of  Part  L,  or  in  any  portion  thereof, 
which  gives  us  any  hint  that  a  part  of  the  composition  is 
later  than  the  time  of  Solomon.  There  is  not  one  word  in 
it,  for  example,  of  warning  against  idolatry,  the  crying  sin 
of  all  times  after  that  of  Solomon.  How  could  this  have  been 
omitted,  when  other  sins  are  here  censured  in  language  of 
the  gravest  rebuke  ?  Everything  in  this  part  of  the  book 
looks  like  belonging  to  the  age  of  Solomon,  and  nothing  is 
against  this  view  of  the  matter.  And  surely  it  will  be  admitted 


30  §  6.    CHARACTERISTICS  OF  PART  II. 

that  Solomon  performed  a  very  appropriate  work,  when  he 
compiled  Part  I.  as  an  introduction  to  his  own  in  Part  II. 

I  cannot  prove  that  my  supposition  is  true  by  any  direct 
testimony ;  neither  can  any  one  prove  that  it  is  not  true. 
But  in  the  absence  of  specific  history,  or  testimony,  it  seems 
to  me  that  a  very  probable  case  has  been  fairly  made  out ; 
and  at  all  events  one  which  relieves  us  from  most  of  our 
critical  difficulties. 

As  to  the  other  question  proposed  at  the  beginning  of  this 
section,  viz.  when  was  Part  I.  composed  ?  it  is  of  course 
answered  by  the  preceding  remarks  on  the  authorship,  in 
case  they  are  well  grounded.  The  time  was  the  age  of 
Solomon. 


§  6.   Characteristics  of  Part  II.,  10 :  1—22  :  16. 

The  great  question  of  authorship  is  here  decisively  an 
swered,  by  the  inscription  to  the  piece  as  it  stands  in  10 :  1. 
There  is  no  critical  ground  for  suspecting  that  this  inscrip 
tion  is  incorrect.  The  time  when  it  was  written,  is  of  course 
also  settled.  What  remains  is,  to  exhibit  the  distinctive 
characteristics  of  the  writing  now  before  us. 

(1)  The  piece  itself  seems  to  be  divided,  or  distinguished 
as  to  its  method,  into  two  leading  portions,  viz.  x — xv.  (which 
I  shall  name  A.),  and  xvi — xxii.  1C,  (named  B.).  I  refer  to 
the  kinds  of  parallelism  respectively  employed  in  each  part, 
A.  and  B.  The  part  A.  has  one  hundred  and  eighty-six 
antithetic  parallelisms,  and  twenty-three  synthetic  ;  while,  on 
the  other  hand,  the  part  B.  has  twenty-four  only  of  the  first 
kind,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty-nine  of  the  latter,  (see  §  4. 
2).  In  the  first,  the  antithetic  is  altogether  predominant ;  in 
the  second,  the  synthetic.  What  led  to  such  an  evident 
diversity  of  manner  in  the  two  parts,  we  are  unable  to  say. 
It  seems  probable,  however,  that,  at  first,  the  two  compositions 
were  separate,  and  were  composed  at  different  times,  although 


'§  6.   CHARACTERISTICS  OF  PART.  II.  31 

by  the  same  writer.  Diversity  may  have  been  an  object 
designed  to  be  accomplished  by  the  change  of  parallelisms. 
In  other  respects  than  that  of  the  different  kinds  of  parallelism, 
there  is  very  little,  in  regard  to  any  discrepancy,  that  deserves 
particular  notice.  We  shall  soon  see  that  tire  same  general 
characteristics  belong,  for  the  most  part,  to  both  divisions. 

(2)  All  throughout  the  piece  is  of  one  tenor,  as  to  the 
completion  of  sentences  by  a  single  verse ;  for  every  verse 
forms  an  independent  and  complete  sentence.  Rarely  is  there 
ever  a  similarity  of  subject  in  two  or  more  continuous  verses, 
so  as  to  connect  them  even  in  a  loose  way.  And  so  palpable 
is  this  trait,  that  the  order  of  the  verses  might  be  almost 
indefinitely  changed,  without  any  serious  injury  to  any  part 
of  the  piece.  Even  the  two  parts  of  the  same  verse  very 
rarely  run  into  each  other,  so  as  to  form  one  composite  sen 
tence.  The  exceptions  to  this  are  nearly  all  in  one  single 
chapter,  viz.  in  20 :  10,  11,  12,  14,  19,  21,  30.  Such  a  rigid 
method,  from  beginning  to  end,  both  in  A.  and  B.,  shows  that 
the  writer  had  a  special  design  in  view,  viz.  to  insert  only 
such  proverbs  as  were  complete  in  one  verse,  whatever  the 
kind  of  parallelism  might  be.  This  method,  although  of 
frequent  occurrence  in  the  sequel  of  the  book,  is  nowhere  else 
so  rigidly  observed  as  here. 

In  A.,  as  we  have  seen,  almost  the  whole  of  the  verses 
sire  of  the  antithetic  order  ;  and  in  B.,  of  the  synthetic.  The 
general  rule  as  to  completing  the  sense,  is  common  to 
both  parts  ;  and  so  is  it  also  in  regard  to  the  respective 
length  of  the  parallelisms  ;  but  in  B.,  there  are  very  few 
•examples  of  the  antithetic  kind.  In  21:  15,  20,  26,  28,  29, 
31.  22 :  3,  are  included  nearly,  if  not  quite,  all  the  cases  of 
this  nature.  This  does  not  indeed  show  a  difference  of 
authorship,  but  merely  a  different  design  in  the  writer  as  to 
method,  in  A.  and  B.  It  looks  very  much  as  if  originally 
there  were  two  libelli,  the  ©ne  for  antithetics,  and  the  other 
for  synthetics.  It  is  impossible  to  examine  the  whole  matter 


32  §  6.   CHARACTERISTICS  OF  PAKT  II. 

minutely  and  critically,  without  coming  to  the  conclusion,, 
that  such  an  arrangement  is  designed,  and  not  accidental*- 
But  one  author,  however,  is  admissible  in  the  present  caser 
because  the  general  principle  of  systematic  arrangement,  in- 
other  respects,  is  so  uniform  throughout,  and  so  entirely  con 
sistent,  as  to-  imply  that  the  whole  plan  proceeded  from  one 
and  the  same  mind. 

(3)  There  is  another  characteristic  exhibited  in  some  pas 
sages  of  Part  II.,  which  shows  a  peculiar  artistic  (if  I  may 
so  call  it)  construction.  This  is,  that  the  same  word  or  words* 
or  one  or  more  words  of  the  like  import,  which  are  leading 
and  important  words,  are  arranged  consecutively  in  two  or 
more  verses,  and  repeated  in  each,  although  the  general  tenor 
of  meaning  in  the  verses  themselves  is  different.  For  ex 
ample  :  In  10 :  6,  7,  we  find  p^x  and  d^ttS*!  in  both  verses. 
So  in  10  :  14, 15,  ttnrra ,  stands  in  both  ;  so  10 :  16, 17,  d^nb ; 
10:  18,  19,  ittsia  and  Tpn&ia;  10 :  20,  21,  both  p^s  and  ab; 
10:  28,  29,  tTOih;  10:  31,  32,  rnrfinn.  All  these  (in  one 
chapter)  look  like  designed  arrangement.  So  also  11:  8,  9, 
ybna  and  ^brp  ;  11:  10, 11,  rn^p  and  SVip;  11:  25,  26,  ria^a; 
11:  30,  31,  p-vns.  Again,  in  12  :  5,  6,  7,  tTOTn ;  12 :  15,"  16,. 
Vn&jj.  In  14: 12,  13,  ftrwix;  14:  17,  18,  nbgx;  14:  26,  27, 
STirr  nx-n  .  In  15 :  31,  32,  nnsin .  In  16 :  27,  28,  29,  m* . 
In  18  :  6,  7,  b^DS) ;  18  :  10, 11,  ts  and  its ;  18  :  18, 19,  d-wa , 
—  These  are  specimens.  More  might  be  added ;  but  these 
will  suffice.  Such  a  thing  is  evidently  the  result  of  designed 
grouping  ;  and  probably  it  was  done  in  order  to  aid  the 
memory  of  the  pupil. 

The  like  to  this,  and  for  a  like  purpose,  may  be  seen  in 
15 :  33  and  16 :  1 — 7,  9,  11,  where  the  word  rnrr  occurs  ten. 
times  in  succession.  So  in  16  :  10,  12, 13, 14, 15,  Tjb'a  occurs 
(partly  in  the  plural)  five  times.  And  the  like  to  all  this  is 
sometimes  found  in  the  Psalms,  probably  thus  composed  for 
the  sake  of  easy  remembrance. 

A  few  (very  few)  cases  occur,  of  like  matter  in  two  con.- 


§  G.   CHARACTERISTICS  OF  PART  II.  33 

tinuous  verses  ;  even  then  each  may  be  taken  separately,  and 
be  disconnected  without  injuring  either  verse.  But  there 
is  no  general  plan  in  such  an  arrangement ;  and  each  verse, 
although  similar,  is  in  fact  independent  of  the  other. 

There  is,  moreover,  throughout  Part  II.,  a  general  corre 
spondence  in  the  measure  or  length  of  the  clauses,  or  verses. 
Generally,  the  first  clause  has  four  words,  and  the  second 
three ;  but  sometimes  they  stand  four  and  four,  and  five  and 
three  ;  and  in  a  few  cases,  three  and  three.  In  a  few  cases, 
also,  where  small  words  are  attached  to  larger  ones  by  a 
Maqqeph,  there  are  nine,  and  even  ten  and  eleven  words  ; 
see  17:  2,8.  19:  18.  21:  1. 

In  some  cases,  (but  few),  there  is,  in  the  second  clause,  a 
virtual  repetition  of  the  sentiment  of  the  first ;  e.  g.  in  11:  7. 
14 :  19,  26.  16:16.  17  :  6.  18  :  3.  Sometimes  (very  rarely) 
the  second  clause  is  exegetical  of  the  first ;  as  in  15 :  3.  In 
a  few  cases,  the  second  clause  gives  the  reason  or  ground  of 
the  first;  e.  g.  16:  26.  21:  7.  Comparatives  by  as  some 
times  appear;  as  in  10:  26.  11 :  32  (2  being  implied).  The 
comparative  degree  by  *f?  is  not  unfrequent ;  as  in  15:  16, 
17.  16:  8,  19.  17:  10.  21  :  19. 

We  must  not  omit  to  mention,  that  there  is  a  considerable 
number  of  cases,  in  which  there  is  a  repetition  of  a  preceding 
proverb,  in  a  different  place.  Thus  14:12,  and  16:25, 
(comp.  21:  2).  21:  9  and  19  ;  and  so  a  repetition  of  one  clause 
of  a  verse  ;  e.  g.  10  :  1  and  15  :  20  ;  10  :  2  and  11:4;  10  : 
15  and  18:  11;  15:  33  and  18:  12;  and  specially  is  this, 
identical  as  to  one  clause,  in  11;  21  and  16:  5  ;  14:  31  and 
17:5;  19:  12  and  20 :  2. 

This  last  circumstance  suggests  to  our  consideration,  that 
there  were  various  sources  from  which  Part  II.  must  proba 
bly  have  been  derived..  We  cannot  well  suppose  that  Solo 
mon  sat  down  to  the  composition  of  Part  II.  as  he  would  in 
order  to  write  chap,  viii.,  i.  e.  his  eulogy  on  Wisdom.  In  the 
last  case,  he  probably  drew  directly  from  his  own  concep- 


34  §  6.  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  PART  11. 

tions,  without  reliance  on  any  other  writing.  But  in  the  case 
of  mere  gnomes  or  popular  proverbs,  he  was  in  quite  a  dif 
ferent  position.  Many,  perhaps  most,  of  these  proverbs  were 
such  as  common  sense  and  long  experience  had  for  substance 
already  suggested  to  the  minds  of  intelligent  men.  They 
were  floating  among  the  common  people,  and  subjected 
thereby  to  more  or  less  disfigurement  or  change.  Solomon's 
mind,  under  divine  influence,  could  easily  recognize  such  of 
these  proverbs  as  were  true  and  useful ;  and,  acknowledging 
them  to  be  so,  he  transferred  them  into  written  language,  so 
that  they  might  be  rendered  permanent  in  their  true  and 
proper  sense,  and  be  thus  guarded  against  alterations.  These 
common  maxims  of  life,  thus  sanctioned  by  him  when  in  such 
a  state,  became  authoritative  and  general  truths.  Of  course, 
we  may  properly  assign  the  authorship  of  them  to  him ;  for 
he  selected  them,  adopted  them,  and  published  them  as  con 
sonant  with  his  own  views.  They  were  only  of  traditional 
currency  before  this ;  but  now  they  became  a  part  of  Scrip 
ture,  under  the  sanction  of  Solomon. 

We  are  obliged,  as  it  seems  to  me,  to  account  in  this  way 
for  the  many  repetitions,  in  Part  IL,  of  the  same  things.  One 
sole  concipient  writing,  purely  from  his  own  mind,  in  a  compo 
sition  like  this,  would  never  have  repeated  the  same  things 
so  often,  and  within  so  limited  a  space.  His  memory  could 
scarcely  be  so  treacherous,  as  to  forget  what  he  had  just  said. 
The  only  probable  way,  then,  in  which  these  repetitions  came 
to  be  introduced,  was  through  the  medium  already  described. 
If  Solomon  wrote  three  thousand  proverbs,  he  must  have 
been  a  great  lover  of  gnomic  lore,  and  probably  must  have 
read  everything  of  that  nature  which  was  then  in  circulation. 
Doubtless,  at  times,  he  selected  whole  paragraphs  from  other 
collections,  and,  transferring  them  to  his  own,  just  as  they 
were,  and  because  he  assented  to  the  truth  of  them,  he 
transcribed  them  in  the  state  in  which  they  stood  in  other 
Mss.  In  this  way,  we  may  suppose  many  of  the  maxims  in 


I  6.   CHARACTERISTICS  \>r  PART  II.  35 

1?art  II.  to  have  been  transferred  from  otlier  collections  of 
gnomes,  and  when  the  transfer  was  made,  it  was  (as  usual 
in  ancient  times)  made  without  curtailing  or  expunging. 
Hence  came  about  the  repetitions  in  question,  because  they 
were  connected  with  other  matter  which  was  not  repetitious. 
We  may  suppose,  that  most  well-read  persons  of  that  day 
'would  recognize  at  once  what  was  new,  and  what  had  been 
transferred.  We  cannot  new  do  what  they  could  then  do$ 
but  we  can  easily  see  how  the  whole  matter  of  repetition 
tnight  take  place ;  and  that  without  supposing  the  wise  king 
to  have  forgotten  himself,  or  rather,  to  have  forgotten  what 
lie  had  just  written.  The  proverbs  transferred  from  com 
mon  life  into  Part  II.,  are  now  of  course  just  as  valid,  by  the 
sanction  of  Solomon,  as  they  would  have  been,  had  he  com 
posed  them  all  de  novo. 

I  see  no  other  probable  way  of  accounting  for  the  phe 
nomenon  in  question.  It  seems  hardly  feasible  to  make  out 
the  probability  of  a  de  novo  composition ;  and  specially  at 
the  expense  of  taxing  the  writer's  memory  with  failure,  and 
'denying  him  a  consciousness  of  what  he  had  just  written. 
But  as  the  matter  has  now  been  represented,  we  find  no 
serious  difficulties  attendant  upon  the  repetition  of  the  same 
gnome.  It  does  seem  probable,  at  least,  that  some  such 
•cause  occasioned  the  repetition  new  ra  question;  for  the 
•only  motive  of  repetition,  independent  of  this  consideration, 
xnust  have  been  the  special  importance  of  the  matter 
repeated.  But  investigation  will  show,  that  in  the  present 
instance  it  could  not  have  sprung  from  this  source,  because 
the  things  repeated,  to  say  the  least,  are  not  more  impertant 
'than  many  other  things  not  repeated^ 

We  must  call  to  mind  here,  that  Solomon  wrote  for  com 
posed  some  three  thousand  proverbs  •;  white  in  die  book 
before  <us,  less  than  one  third  part  of  these  are  contained, 
He  might  then,  in  compiling  Part  II.,  have  selected  much 
from  his  own  previous  libettL  Who  can  show  even  a  proba- 


36  §  6.   CHARACTERISTICS  OF  FART  II. 

bility  that  lie  did  not  ?  Still,  one  would  naturally  supposs 
that,  in  selecting  and  transferring  his  own  compositions,  he 
would  take  more  liberty  of  omitting  what  was  repetitious^ 
than  he  would  when  extracting  from  others.  Most  proba 
bly,  then,  the  repetitions  occur  in  cases  of  extracting  from 
others,  while  we  may  still  believe  that  Solomon  selected 
much  from  his  own  previous  writings,  which  was  adapted  to 
his  design  in  the  writing  of  Part  II. 

(4)  Ewald  (as  usual)  finds  a  VGTSQOV  TTQOTEQOV  in  the 
order  of  Parts  I— IV.  He  arranges  them  thus.  (1)  Part 
H.  (2)  Part  IV,  (3)  Part  I.  (4)  Part  III.  Hitzig 
cleaves  to  the  present  order  of  parts,  in  our  Hebrew 
Scriptures.  Such  being  the  case,  we  may  well  believe, 
since  the  difference  between  them  is  so  great,  that  the 
reasons  of  Ewald  for  his  arrangement  are  not  of  a  very 
cogent  nature ;  more  specially  so,  since  Bertheau  has  shown; 
(Einl.  §  3),  that  there  are  no  valid  arguments  for  such  are 
arrangement.  Part  II.,  which  Ewald  ranks  as  the  oldest,, 
he  attributes  to  a  period  of  two  hundred  years  after  the 
death  of  Solomon.  Part  IV.,  which  he  ranks  next,  was 
composed,  as  the  inscription  shows,  in  the  time  of  Hezekialv 
i.  e.  about  three  hundred  years  after  Solomon.  Still  laterr 
as  he  avers,  came  Part  I.,  which  he  ranks  as  the  third  ii> 
order;  and  last  of  all,  Part  III.,  that  is,  22  :  17— 24:- 34. 

I  shall  but  briefly  discuss  this  matter,  inasmuch  as  the- 
whole  thing  seems  to  me  quite  arbitrary.  Ewald  alleges, 
(1)  That  there  is  a  great  diversity  between  Parts  Land  II... 
as  to  their  form  or  manner.. —  This,  we  have  not  only 
acknowledged,  but  also  have  shewn  at  length  above.  But 
this  proves  nothing  as  to  the  time  of  composition.  Contem 
porary  writings  may  be,  and  often  are,  exceedingly  diverse, 
He  says  that  Part  II.  has  the  air  of  antiquity,  L  e.  it  is 
characterized  by  even  measure,  sentences  complete  in  one 
verse,  and  strongly  marked  parallelisms.  But  conceding 
this,  (which  indeed  is  true),  0n  the  ground  which  we  occupy 


§  6.  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  PART  II,  37 

it  does  not  touch  the  case.  Solomon,  as  we  have  seen, 
probably  selected  proverbs  from  those  in  common  use,  and 
reduced  them  to  writing.  The  older  they  were,  the  better ; 
for  in  this  case  the  currency  of  them  would  meet  with  no 
objection.  All  nations,  in  their  more  uncultivated  state,  are 
attached  to  gnomic  sayings,  and  abound  in  them.  Culti- 
Yated  nations  more  seldom  form  new  proverbs*  Before 
books  are  written,  gnomes  are  the  books  of  the  multitude. 
The  intelligence  of  keen  observers  strikes  out  many  a  true 
and  happy  thought,  which  is  the  result  of  oft-repeated  expe 
rience.  So  with  the  Hebrews  at  all  events,  who  were  surely 
a  talented  nation,  A  large  portion  of  Part  II.  may  have 
been  traditionally  current,  before  Solomon's  day  ;  and  well 
may  his  book,  containing  more  or  less  of  selections  from 
proverbs  long  current,  wear  to  us  the  air  of  great  antiquity. 
But  this  is  nothing  to  the  purpose  of  showing,  that  Part  IL 
was  imitten  long  before  the  other  Parts,  The  truth  is,  that 
the  difference  in  manner  between  Parts  I.  and  II.,  is  appa 
rently  a  matter  of  design*  In  other  words,  the  writer  or 
writers  of  Part  I.  intended  to  write  continued  and  connected 
discourses  ;  while  the  compiler  of  Part  II.  intended  just  the 
contrary.  But  this  is  a  matter  which  has  nothing  to  do  with 
the  time  when  these. Parts  were  respectively  written. 

(2)  Ewald  objects  to  the  first  two  Parts  being  coetaneous, 
that  the  difference  in  language  between  them  is  very  great. 

But  even  if  we  allow  this,  it  cannot  prove  anything  of 
consequence.  If  much  of  Part  II.  consists  of  proverbs 
long  in  use,  it  of  course  exhibits  more  or  less  of  the  older 
language.  Besides  this,  the  fact  that  the  gnomes  in  Part  II. 
are  all  made  up  of  one  sentence  each,  and  that  they  are 
brief,  pointed,  compressed,  popular  maxims,  is  enough  to 
account  for  variation,  in  some  measure,  from  the  diction  of 
the  continuous  and  connected  discourses  in  Part  I.  To 
establish  his  point,  Ewald  produces  some  four  or  five  words 
and  phrases  in  Part  IL,  which  are  not  found  in  Part  I.  But 
4 


8&  §  6.  CflARACTfcmsfics  OK  PART  IL 

this  proves  nothing  ;  for  different  compositions  and  different 
subjects  of  course  demand  different  language.  On  the  other, 
hand,  there  are  many  leading  and  characteristic  expressions 
and  words,  which  are  common  to  Parts  I.  and  II.  For 
example :  xa-i-?  >  rns;i ,  r^a ,  n^r  s<b ,  v^n  Y$  ,  niEsn  (plur.) 
rnt  adulteress,  nirsnn,  "j'Ti^a  n>-a,  s^  IZ^JT,  :ns  and  s^n  put 
together,  f  iba  ,  rvnnx ,  •jTirx  and  many  others.  If  any  one 
will  take  his  Hebrew  Concordance,  and  trace  these  words  in 
it,  he  will  see  that  they  belong  in  common  to  Parts  I.  and 
II.  This  is  enough  to  overwhelm  all  the  cases  produced  by 
Ewald,  of  peculiar  usage  in  Part  II. ;  even  if  they  were  in 
point  as  far  as  they  go.  Every  one  who  reads  and  com* 
pares,  will  see  that  there  are  very  many  expressions  which 
are  alike  in  both  Parts.  The  compositions,  as  we  have 
seen,  are  in  all  probability  not  all  from  the  same  hand ;  but 
that  they  are  contemporaneous,  or  nearly  so,  seems  to  be 
impressed  on  the  diction  and  on  the  thoughts  everywhere 
to  be  met  with. 

(3)  Ewald  asserts,  that  the  external  relations  apparent  in 
Parts  I.  and  II.,  are  diverse  and  unlike. 

In  proof  of  this,  he  appeals  to  the  case  of  lawless 
marauders  wandering  through  the  country,  as  brought  to 
view  in  1:  11—19.  2:  12—15.  4;  14—17.  It  is  true,  how 
ever,  that  the  very  nature  of  the  composition  in  Part  IL, 
(all  of  it  introducing  and  concluding  a  subject  in  each 
verse),  renders  such  a  prolonged  description  as  we  find  in 
Part  I.  impossible.  But  12:  6  compared  with  1:  11,  will 
show  that  both  Parts  recognize  one  and  the  same  thing  as 
to  predatory  excursions.  The  passage  in  3 :  31,  which 
cautions  against  envying  those  who  oppress,  Ewald  thinks 
peculiar  to  Part  I.  But  the  numerous  passages  in  Part  IL, 
which  threaten  the  rapid  loss  of  unjust  gain,  and  the  speedy 
perishing  of  the  wicked  who  are  rich,  surely  correspond  to 
and  expand  the  idea  in  3 :  31. 

These,  then,  are  all  the  reasons  which  Ewald  finds,  to  dis* 


§  7.   CHARACTERISTICS  OF  PART  III.  39 

prove  contemporaneousness*  Yet  these  are  surely  but  a  broken 
reed  to  lean  upon.  On  the  other  hand ;  what  will  he  say 
to  the  thoughtless  suretyship  which  is  described  and  censured  > 
in  6 :  1—4,  and  also  in  like  way,  in  lit  15,  17:  18.  20 :  16  ? 
All  this  seems  to  indicate  a  sameness  of  period  for  both 
compositions. 

The  result,  then,  seems  plainly  to  be  this,  viz.,  that  Parts 
I.  and  II.  were  written  at  or  near  the  same  period  ;  that  in 
all  probability  they  passed  through  the  hands  of  Solomon, 
as  both  compiler  and  original  author ;  and  as  we  have  direct 
testimony  to  his  authorship  in  respect  to  Part  II.,  in  the 
sense  above  explained,  so  we  have  probable  evidence  from 
the  position  and  nature  of  Part  I.,  and  its  adaptedness  as  an 
introduction  to  the  book,  that  it  was  put  in  its  present  place 
by  the  wise  king,  and  of  course  sanctioned  by  his  authority, 
even  if  it  were  not  compiled  in  part  by  him.  If  the  last 
three  chapters  of  Part  I.  are  his  composition,  (and  this  they 
would  seem  to  be),  then  is  it  altogether  probable  that  he 
complied  the  rest.  The  general  introduction  in  1:  1 — 7> 
seems  to  come  from  the  hand  of  the  latest  compiler  of  the 
book,  as  it  relates,  in  part,  to  portions  of  the  work  written 
some  three  hundred  years  after  the  time  of  Solomon. 

In  this  general  conclusion,  as  to  the  contemporaneous  rise 
of  Parts  I.  and  II.,  Bertheau  seems  fully  to  agree.  At  least 
he  deems  Ewald's  arguments  as  making  nothing  against 
this.  Hitzig  adopts  the  present  order  of  the  Parts  as  the 
true  one ;  and  he  observes,  in  confirmation  of  this,  that  the 
five  books  of  the  Psalms  were  originally  collected  and 
arranged  as  they  now  stand. 


§  7.     Characteristics  of  Part  III.,  22:  17—24:  34. 

The  general  inscription  in  1:  1 — 7,  refers  to  THE  WORDS 
OF  THE  WISE,  as  one  thing  which  the  book  is  designed  to 
teach,  v.  6.  Here  now,  in  22 ;  17,  we  find  that  same  title,  in  an 


40  §  7.   CHARACTERISTICS  OF  PART  III. 

exhortation  to  give  a  hearing  ear  to  such  words :  "  Hear  the 
words  of  the  wise''  Again,  in  24:  23,  some  additions  to  the 
words  of  the  wise  are  said  to  be  made ;  and  these  are  con 
tained  in  24 :  23—34.  Here,  then,  \ve  have  at  least  two 
collections  of  those  words  of  the  wise»  In  the  first,  the 
compellation,  My  son,  is  several  times  repeated ;  but  in  the 
second  part  it  does  not  at  all  appear.  —  Our  next  question 
is  :  How  is  Part  III.  characterized  ? 

(1)  In  Part  III.,  the  construction  of  the  verse  or  metre 
is  nothing  like  so  regular  as  in  Part  II.  We  have  indeed 
here  (as  there)  verses  of  eight,  seven,  and  six  words ;  but 
they  stand  mingled  with  others  of  eleven  words,  (22:  29. 
23:31,  35);  of  fourteen  words,  (23:29);  and  even  of 
eighteen  words,  (24:  12).  In  some  of  these  instances,  dis 
tinct  traces  of  proper  parallelism  can  hardly  be  discovered. 
They  are  a  kind  of  measured  prose. 

Here,  moreover,  the  parallelisms  are  all  synthetic,  except 
ing  only  24 :  1  G,  which  is  antithetic.  Here  also  sentences 
completed  in  one  verse  are  the  exception,  (and  a  small  one)  5 
those  in  two  or  more,  are  the  rule.  Very  often,  three 
verses  are  combined  in  a  sentence,  e.  g.  23:  1 — 3,  6 — 8,  19 
— 21.  In  one  case,  24:  30— 34,  we  have  five  verses;  and 
in  23 :  29—35  (virtually  one  compound  sentence)  we  have 
oven  seven  verses.  All  this  makes  a  great  variety  and  a 
miscellaneousness  in  the  composition.  In  general,  Part  III. 
is  strikingly  different  from  anything  which  precedes  it. 

(2)  Here,  as  in  Part  I.,  we  have  the  address  :  My  son. 
And  where  this  is  not  prefixed  to  a  paragraph,  an  address 
is  often  made  to  the  second  person  singular,  thou. 

(3)  As  to  the  arrangement  of  the  proverbs  here,  some 
times  those  similar  in    their  tenor   are  brought   together ; 
e.  g.  23  :  15,  seq.     But  in  general,  no  pains  appears  to  have 
been  taken  to  make  out  arrangements  regularly  consecutive. 
Neither  the  compiler,  nor  the  original  concipients,  seem  to 
have  felt  the  necessity  of  subjecting  themselves  to  the  ordi- 


§.7.  AUTHORSHIP  OF  PART  III.  41 

nary  gnomic  rules ;  for  in  some  places  we  have,  as  it  were, 
short  parables  ;  e.  g.  23 :  29—35.  24 :  30—34. 

On  the  whole,  then,  the  discrepancy  between  Part  III. 
and  the  preceding  Parts,  is  striking,  and  would  of  itself 
raise  doubts  in  the  mind  of  the  reader,  as  to  identity  of 
authorship  in  each  of  the  Parts.  But  when  to  all  this  is 
superadded  the  distinctive  titles  in  22:  17,  and  24:  23,  it 
would  seem  that  there  is  little  room  for  critical  doubt,  that 
the  authors  of  Part  III.  are  different  from  that  or  those  of 
the  preceding  Parts.  But, 

(4)  When  was  Part  III.  first  written  ?  Ewald  places  it 
as  contemporaneous  with  Part  I.,  i.  e.  according  to  him, 
about  one  hundred  years  later  than  Part  II.  We  have  seen 
that  he  gives  no  satisfactory  reasons  for  assigning  an  earlier 
period  to  Part  II.,  and  a  later  one  to  Part  I.  So  far  as 
language  or  phraseology  is  concerned,  there  is  much  reason 
to  believe  that  all  three  Parts  are  nearly  of  the  same  age. 
E.  g.  $j?n  and  rns1  are  joined  here,  as  in  Parts  I.  II. ; 
22:26  and  6:1/17:18.  So  Parts  II.  III.  have  many 
expressions  in  common;  e.  g.  d^rfbb,  22:21  and  10:26; 
«t£*~2  rnvj ,  (an  adulteress),  22:  14  and  23:  27;  rvibann, 
24T:  6  and  11:  14,  20:  18  ;  dW  Wi3j3£,  24:  24  and  11:  26, 
(the  latter  having  dixib )  ;  -ps  "j^  in  23 :  6,  and  'p?  nils  in 
22 :  9.  Ewald  says,  that  the  warning  against  sedition, 
24:21,  is  peculiar  to  Part  III.;  but  17:11  and  16:14 
show  that  this  subject  is  fully  recognized  in  Part  II. 
Thoughtless  and  hasty  suretyship  is  denounced  in  22 :  27, 
and  in  20 :  16  also  is  the  same  thing  virtually  the  subject  of 
reprobation.  On  the  score  of  language,  then,  no  striking 
differences  can  be  made  out,  but,  as  we  have  seen  above, 
quite  the  contrary. 

(5)  By  ivhorii  was  Part  III.  compiled  ?    To  this  question  we 

can  give  no  definite  answer,  because  the  title  (in  22  :  17)  does 

not  name  any  author.     Was  the  compiler,  then,  probably  the 

same  who  compiled  Parts  T.  II.  ?     We  cannot  answer  this 

4* 


42  §  7.   AUTHORSHIP  OF  PART  III. 

question  with  any  pretensions  to  certainty ;  but  there  is  a 
probability  still  in  this  case,  which  appears  somewhat  strong. 
The  compiler  presents  himself  as  speaking,  only  in  22  :  17 — 
21.  The  rest  of  the  piece  contains  the  words  of  the  wise. 
But  the  compiler's  own  words  are  too  few  for  us  to  draw 
any  conclusions  from  them.  The  address  or  exhortation  in 
them  is  of  a  tenor  like  to  that  of  the  addresses  in  Part  I.  ; 
although  the  style  of  one  portion  of  the  address,  viz.,  in  22 :  19 
— 21,  is  different  from  that  in  the  addresses  of  Part  I.  The 
discrepancies  and  the  resemblances  in  general  have  already 
been  stated.  There  can  be  hardly  any  room  to  doubt,  that 
the  words  of  the  wise  (22:  17)  forms  a  new  category,  stand 
ing  at  the  head  of  something  superadded.  The  only  ques 
tion  is  —  Did  Solomon,  (in  case  he  compiled  Parts  I.  II.,  as 
seems  quite  probable),  also  add  Part  III.  to  the  others  which 
he  had  compiled  ?  For  my  own  part,  I  feel  quite  disposed 
to  answer  this  question  in  the  affirmative.  It  need  not  follow 
from  this,  that  Solomon  himself  compiled  the  different  por 
tions  of  Part  III.,  or  even  that  he  wrote  the  exhortation  in 
22 :  17 — 21.  He  might  have  lighted  on  this  collection,  with 
its  introduction,  made  by  some  prophet  or  man  of  God  in 
his  time,  and,  approving  of  it,  have  appended  it  to  Part  II., 
his  principal  work.  But  that  Part  III.  is  not  his  own  proper 
composition,  seems  to  be  quite  probable  from  the  discrepance 
yf  this  Part  from  the  others,  in  respect  to  metres,  length 
of  parallelisms,  and  other  external  marks  of  distinction. 
Specially  is  this  made  probable  by  the  fact,  that  emphasis 
is  often  made  in  Part  III.,  by  the  express  repetition  of  the 
pronoun;  e.  g.  J~inx  r;N  in  22:  19  ;  srn  C]X,  23:  14,  15,  19, 
20.  24:  6,  27,  32.  '  This  usage  is  very  rare  elsewhere,  in 
the  whole  book. 

We  may  easily  believe  that  Solomon,  who  had  such  an 
attachment  to  gnomic  lore,  meeting  with  Part  III.  in  its 
present  form,  and  so  made  ready  as  it  were  to  his  hand, 
selected  it  to  be  added  to  his  own  little  volume.  Some  of  it 


§  7.  AUTHORSHIP  OP  PART  III.  43 

may  even  have  been  taken  from  other  parts  of  his  own 
works.  At  all  events,  however  this  may  be,  we  cannot  well 
suppose  that  it  was  added  to  Parts  I.  II.  after  the  time  of 
Hezekiah,  when  Part  IV.  was  added;  see  25:  1.  Had  not 
Part  III.  already  been  in  existence  before  this,  it  would  of 
course  have  been  put  after  what  is  now  Part  IV.  in  the 
compilation  ;  for  had  it  been  in  existence,  and  not  been 
already  united  to  Parts  I.  II.,  then  it  was  almost  a  matter  of 
course  for  the  men  of  Hezekiah  to  have  put  Solomon's  work, 
now  in  Part  IV.,  immediately  after  Part  II.,  so  that  all  the 
writings  of  Solomon  might  be  connected  together.  We  can 
imagine  no  motive  why  late  compilers  should  insert  Part  III. 
between  Part  II.  and  the  present  Part  IV.  It  would  of 
course  have  been  postponed. 

We  may  then  take  it  as  altogether  probable,  that  Parts 
I — III.  were  first  collected  and  put  together,  and  were  in 
circulation,  and  probably  had  long  been  so,  when  the  men  of 
Hezekiah  made  an  addition,  by  collecting  from  various  writings 
of  Solomon  that  stood  in  other  collections,  that  which  now 
belongs  to  Part  IV.,  and  joining  this  with  the  other  preced 
ing  Parts.  We  may  account  for  the  sameness  of  one  clause 
in  20 :  18  and  24 :  6,  and  so  of  one  in  11 :  14  and  24 :  6,  by 
the  supposition,  that  the  compiler  of  Part  III.  had  drawn 
from  sources  which  contained  some  things  belonging  to  Sol 
omon.  Particularly  may  this  principle  be  applied  to  6  :  10, 
11  and  24  :  33,  34.  The  first  was  either  in  some  composition 
adopted  by  Solomon,  and  incorporated  with  Part  I.,  or  else 
came  from  some  of  Solomon's  libetti  of  proverbs,  which  do  not 
appear  in  his  works  now  extant.  The  compiler  of  Part  III. 
met  with  the  same  libellus,  and  extracted  24:  33,  34,  from  it. 
The  same  writer,  in  the  same  continuous  book,  would  scarcely 
have  made  such  repetitions.  On  any  other  ground  than  the 
one  now  suggested,  they  can  hardly  be  accounted  for. 

By  whomsoever  composed,  Part  HI.,  although  it  differs 
much  from  the  preceding  one,  cannot  well  be  placed  below 


44  §  8.   CHARACTERISTICS  OF  PART  IV. 

the  preceding  Part.  It  is  full  of  life  and  power,  and  in  point 
of  graphic  description,  it  is  not  exceeded  by  anything  in  the 
whole  book  ;  see,  for  example,  23  :  29—35.  24 :  30—34. 

One  word  on  a  subordinate  division  of  Part  III.,  which 
commences  with  a  new  title  in  24  :  23,  running  thus :  DTasnb 
rtex  fia ,  i.  e.  these  also  belong  to  the  wise,  the  b  being  a  b 
auctoris,  as  in  the  Psalms.  The  C5>  settles  the  question, 
that  there  is  a  new  addition  appended  here.  It  compares 
well  with  the  preceding  division,  both  in  spirit  and  in  manner. 
It  was  indeed  well  worthy  of  reception.  The  probability  of 
course  is,  that  it  was  derived  from  a  source  different  from 
that  of  the  preceding  division.  The  na  shows  the  design  of 
the  compiler,  viz.  that  the  two  portions  of  Part  III.  should 
be  inseparably  connected. 

§  8.    Characteristics  of  Part  IV.  chap,  xxv — xxix. 

The  authorship,  and  of  course  the  time  of  compilation,  is  here 
made  certain.  This  Part  contains  the  Proverbs  of  Solomon, 
which  the  men  of  Hezekiah,  king  of  Judah,.  copied  out,  25:1. 
The  men  of  Hezekiah  must  of  course  mean,  the  sacred  scribes  in 
the  service  of  the  king,  or  his  counsellors.  Among  these  doubt 
less  were  many  excellent  men,  who  would  zealously  perform 
such  a  labor.  The  verb  'ip'wrt ,  rendered  copied  out,  lit. 
means,  to  transfer  from  one  place  to  another.  In  respect  to  a 
writing,  this  must  mean,  to  transcribe,  or  to  copy.  Sept.,  very 
happily  :  l$ey()d\l)avTO.  This  shows  .that  other  volumes,  or 
portions  of  volumes,  comprising  the  gnomic  compositions  of 
Solomon,  were  then  in  circulation,  besides  what  is  contained 
in  Parts  I.  II.  above.  From  them  the  scribes  of  the  pious 
king  made  a  selection,  and  chaps,  xxv — xxix.  is  the  fruit  of 
this  selection.  We  must  notice  the  characteristics. 

(1)  In  respect  to  parallelisms,  there  are  ninety-three  syn 
thetic,  and  thirty-five  antithetic  ones,  but  no  synonymous 
members  of  verses.  In  respect  to  the  metres,  they  very 


§  8.    CHARACTERISTICS  OP  PART  IV.  45 

much  resemble  those  in  Part  II.,  the  verses  mostly  consisting 
of  eight,  seven,- and  six  words.  In  some  cases,  two  closely 
connected  verses  contain  of  course  many  more  ;  e.  g.  25  :  6,  7, 
comprise  twenty  words;  and  25  :  21,  22  amount  to  eighteen 
words.  The  antithetic  verses  (=35)  are  strenuously  and 
regularly  antithetic.  But  in  chaps,  xxv — xxvii.,  most  of  the 
verses  are  comparisons,  either  in  the  strict,  or  in  the  freer 
sense.  In  many,  we  can  hardly  make  out  a  parallelism ; 
e.  g.  25  :  8,  9,  10,  21,  22.  26  :  18,  19.  27  :  1.  29  :  12.  Yet 
there  is  a  symmetry  even  here,  in  respect  to  the  form  of  the 
clauses.  We  meet  here  with  repeated  instances  of  a  proverb 
extended  to  several  verses  ;  which  is  altogether  different  from 
Part  II.  There  are  some  passages,  e.  g.  26 :  23,  28,  and  27  : 
23,  27,  which  have  a  lofty  poetic  spirit,  quite  different  from 
that  of  common  gnomes. 

(2)  There  is  a  striking  resemblance  in  Part  IV.  to  Part 
II.,  in  regard  to  the  repetition  of  the  same  word  or  phrase  in 
different  verses.     E.  g.  25 :  1  and  2,  D^E ;  25 :  4  and  5, 
•iarj;  25:8,9,  10,  s'n ;  25:11,  12,  snt ;   25:  19,  rnx  e'-p, 
and  25  :  20,  rn£  n^  ;  26  :  3 — 12,  b^03  (sing,  or  plur.)  in  each 
of  the  ten  verses  ;  26  :  13—16,  te  in  each  verse  ;  26  :  20, 
21,   DW;  27:  1,  2,  Vsnrfi  and  b|rn ;  27:5,  6,  rnnx  and 
nni'x .     So  in  27 :  7,  9,  pirra  and  prra  ;  28 :  4,  7,  9,  rnin  ; 
28 :  3,  6,  137  ;  28  :  2,  16,  rpw  ;  28 :  12,  28,  s^-i  c-p  ^29  : 
2,  16,  rrp^-j:  ni's-na  and  trrr-i  niana  ;  28:  14  and  29:  1, 
nrp-o  ;  29  :  8,  10,  v^x .     All  this  looks  like  designed  selec 
tion  and  arrangement,  in  such  a  way  as  to  attract  attention, 
and  to  help  fix  passages  in  the  memory  ;  and  this  may  be 
called  Solomonic  ;  for  it  is  very  common  in  Part  II. 

(3)  The  point  of  striking  difference  between  Part  II.  and 
IV.  is,  that  in  the  latter,  there  are  many  cases  of  two  or  more 
verses  connected  in  one  sentence,  which  is  never  the  case  in 
Part  II. ;  e.  g.  25  :  6  and  7,  9  and  10,  21  and  22.  26 :  18  and 
19.  27  :  15  and  16.     Moreover,  in  26  :  23—28,  there  are  six 
verses  united ;  and  in  27 :  23—27,  there  are  five. 


46  §  8.   CHARACTERISTICS  OF  PART  IV. 

(4)  Part  IV.  shows  that  the  men  who  compiled  it  were 
different  from  the  compiler  of  Part  II.  One  and  the  same 
compiler  or  author  would  never  have  repeated,  in  Part  IV., 
so  many  things  which  are  said  in  Part  II.  Compare,  for 
example,  the  following  passages :  25  :  24  with  21:9;  26:13 
with  22  :  13  ;  26 :  15  with  19 :  24  ;  26 :  22  with  18 :  8 ;  27 : 
13  with  20  :  16  ;  27 :  15  with  19  :  13  ;  27  :  21  with  17  :  3  ; 

28  :  6  with  19  :  1  ;  28  :  19  with  12  :  11 ;  29  :  22  with  15  :  18, 
(and  more  there  are  of  the  same  kind  which  it  is  needless  to 
cite).     No  one  continuous  writer  ever  would  have  repeated 
himself  so  often.     But  others,  who  selected  from  his  works, 
might  easily  come  to  insert  such  repetitions,  because  they 
stood  connected  with  other  matter  that  surrounded  them,  and 
which  was  cited. 

Different  is  the  case  in  regard  to  repetitions  of  Part  III., 
viz.  the  words  of  the  wise.  We  find  only  one  instance  of 
this,  viz.  28 :  21  and  24 :  23.  In  respect  to  repetitions  of 
itself  in  Part  IV.,  there  is  only  one  example,  viz.  26:  12  and 

29  :  20 ;  but  even  here,  there  is  so  much  variation  of  the 
latter  from  the  former,  that  a  case  of  repetition  can  hardly 
be  made  out.     So  in  28 :  12,  28  :  28,  and  29  :  2,  there  is  the 
like  general  sentiment,  but  the  costume  is  different. 

On  the  whole  it  is  clear,  from  the  view  given  above  of 
repetitions  in  Parts  II.  and  IV.,  that  the  compilers  of  both 
drew  from  the  same  original  sources,  whether  they  were  the 
works  of  Solomon,  or  of  others.  And  these  close  resem 
blances  serve  to  confirm  what  25 :  1 1  asserts,  viz.  that  Part 
IV.  is  made  up,  or  compiled,  from  the  works  of  Solomon. 

Ewald  says,  that  the  diction  of  Part  IV.  serves  to  show 
that  it  sprung  from  Northern  Palestine.  But  as  he  has  not 
given  specific  examples,  nor  any  reasons  for  such  an  opinion ; 
as  there  is  nothing  in  history  respecting  Hezekiah,  which 
serves  to  confirm  the  notion,  that  he  sent  sacred  scribes 
thither  in  order  to  collect  proverbs  ;  and  specially,  as  we  can 
discover  no  diagnostics  in  this  case  of  a  provincial  dialect ; 


§  9.    CHARACTERISTICS  OF  PART  V.  47 

I  do  not  see  any  ground  for  such  an  assertion.  Most  of  all 
did  Solomon's  works  circulate  at  and  near  Jerusalem;  and 
there,  most  probably,  were  found  the  works  from  which 
Part  IV.  is  selected. 

Finally,  this  Part,  although  compiled  by  the  men  of  Heze- 
Iciah,  has  Solomon  for  its  real  author  ;  and  therefore  is  of  the 
same  authority  as  the  preceding  Parts  of  the  book. 


§  9.    Characteristics  of  Part  V.  chap.  xxx. 

In  the  Commentary  on  30  :  1,  the  title  to  this  Part  is  fully 
discussed ;  and  the  attempt  is  made  to  show,  that  the  most 
probable  meaning  of  v.  1  is  this :  "  The  words  of  Agur,  the 
son  of  her  who  was  obeyed  in  Massa,"  [i.  e.  of  the  queen  of 
Massa].  It  is  there  shown,  that  Massa  was  probably  a  re 
gion  or  city,  lying  east  of  the  gulf  of  Akaba,  once  possessed 
by  the  Amalekites,  who  at  last  were  expelled  by  the  sons  of 
Simeon.  These  last  settled  down  in  the  room  of  the  expelled, 
during  the  time  of  Hezekiah,  whose  scribes  copied  out  Part 
IV.  of  the  book  of  Proverbs  ;  1  Chron.  4  :  41 — 43.  It  seems 
natural,  then,  to  suppose  that  Parts  V.  and  VI.  must  have 
been  united  to  the  book  of  Proverbs,  after  Part  IV.  had 
been  joined  to  it ;  and  the  arrangement  itself  speaks  for  this. 
Whether  the  addition  was  made  by  the  same  men  of  Heze 
kiah,  who  selected  and  added  Part  IV.,  we  have  no  means 
of  determining  with  certainty.  But  in  itself  it  seems  quite 
probable.  It  is  clear,  that  Agur  was  a  son  of  the  queen  of 
Massa  ;  and,  as  king  Hezekiah  reigned  some  twenty-nine 
years,  and  as  the  Simeonites  may  have  made  their  conquest 
of  Massa  and  settled  there  in  the  earlier  part  of  his  reign, 
they  may,  as  living  in  a  distant  country,  have  had,  and  prob 
ably  they  did  have,  an  Emir  or  prince  of  their  own  to  rule 
over  them ;  and  this  prince  may  have  been  the  father  both 
of  Agur  and  Lemuel,  for  they  seem  to  be  brothers,  and  sons 
of  the  same  mother ;  see.  on  30  :  1.  The  queen  in  question, 


48  §  9.   CHARACTERISTICS  OF  PART  V. 

may  have  been  such  in  consequence  of  the  demise  of  her 
husband,  who  gave  her  his  throne ;  and  on  this  account,  as 
chap.  xxx.  was  written  during  her  reign,  Agur  is  spoken  of  as 
being  her  son.  A  distinguished  woman  she  must  have  been, 
according  to  30  :  1,  31 :  1.  It  is  not  said  of  Agur,  however, 
that  he  was  a  king ;  yet  of  Lemuel  (probably  his  older 
brother)  this  is  said,  31:1.  But  as  Agur  was  the  son  of  a 
queen,  he  of  course  was  a  prince. 

Chap,  xxx.,  then,  came  in  all  probability  from  the  hand  of  a 
Hebrew.  So  the  language  itself  of  course  indicates.  There 
is  nothing  specially  provincial  in  the  diction ;  although  the 
form  and  manner  of  the  composition  is  altogether  sui  generis. 
If  the  sacred  scribes  of  Hezekiah  selected  this  composition 
of  Agur,  and  judged  it  meet  to  be  joined  to  the  rest  of  the 
book  of  Proverbs,  we  should  be  satisfied  that  it  properly 
belongs  there. 

(1)  In  regard  to  the  parallelisms  here,  all  but  three  are 
of  the  synthetic  order.  Three  are  partially  antithetic.  In 
regard  to  the  quantity  or  space  assigned  to  one  and  the  same 
subject,  some  are  completed  in  one  verse  ;  others  in  two ; 
more  frequently  there  are  three  verses,  as  in  18 — 20,  21 — 23  ; 
sometimes  four,  as  in  24 — 28,  and  once  even  six,  1 — 6.  The 
length  of  the  verses  here  is  often  widely  discrepant  from  that 
in  Part  II. ;  for  here  are  verses  of  eleven,  twelve,  thirteen, 
and  even  twenty-four  words  (v.  4). 

Strict  correspondence  of  the  parallelisms  is  not  regarded 
much  here.  Many  of  them,  likewise,  are  but  little  more 
than  measured  prose,  excepting  the  poetic  spirit  which  reigns 
in  them.  This,  and  the  kind  of  metre  belonging  to  them, 
probably  contributed  to  place  this  composition  in  a  book  of 
poetic  proverbs. 

There  are  some  things  in  chap.  xxx. which  are  altogether 
peculiar.  The  repeated  reckoning  there  of  two  things  (v.  7) ; 
of  four  things  in  vs.  11 — 14;  then  of  three  increased  by  a 
fourth  in  vs.  15,  18,  21,  29  ;  then  of  four  things  in  v.  24;  is 


§  9.    CHARACTERISTICS  OF  PART  V.  49 

unlike  in  extent  to  anything  else  in  the  whole  Bible,  except 
ing  in  Amos  i.  and  ii.,  where  we  have  three  and  then  a 
fourth  added,  eight  times  in  succession.  There  is,  in  our 
f.ext,  a  kind  of  play  of  the  fancy  upon  the  numbers;  and  the 
gradual  increase,  first  from  two  to  three,  then  to  three  with 
an  appendix,  and  then  four,  shows  a  design  or  plan  of 
arrangement  in  the  writer's  mind.  It  is  plain,  indeed, 
that  the  design  of  Agur  is  not  to  develop  merely  maxims 
or  rules  of  conduct.  In  fact,  there  is  little  of  precept  here, 
excepting  it  be  obtained  in  the  way  of  making  out  deductions 
from  what  is  said  in  the  representations  of  things.  Some  of 
the  matter  is  very  grave,  and  attains  to  a  high  moral  sub 
limity  ;  see  vs.  2 — 6,  where  the  unsearchable  nature  of  God 
and  the  excellence  of  his  truth  are  strikingly  developed. 
Then  come  some  excellent  sentiments,  in  vs.  7 — 9.  Then 
follow  four  classes  of  individuals,  who  seem  to  be  held  up 
to  indignation,  vs.  11 — 14.  Next,  we  have  one  of  the  m'TH 
(enigmas),  which  seern  to  be  plainly  adverted  to  in  the  gen 
eral  introduction  to  the  book,  1 :  G.  It  is  difficult  to  make 
out  the  moral  of  vs.  14,  15.  The  insatiability  of  the  things 
named  there  belong  to  mere  natural  objects,  and  has  no 
moral  character.  It  is  probable,  that  under  these  nvv-n  is 
couched  some  moral  truth,  which  is  designedly  left  for  the 
reader  to  discover  if  he  can.  Perhaps  the  passage  relates  to 
avarice  ;  perhaps  to  sensual  appetites  which  are  nourished, 
and  which  grow  stronger  by  indulgence.  More  difficult  still 
would  it  be,  to  find  out  the  design  of  vs.  18,  19,  were  it  not 
that  v.  20  gives  us  some  clue.  The  amount  of  what  is  here 
said  seems  to  be,  that  wickedness  may  sometimes  be  so  con 
cealed,  that  no  traces  of  it  can  be  discovered  by  any  one, 
besides  those  who  commit,  it..  The  design  of  vs.  21 — 23  is 
like  that  of  vs.  11 — 14,  viz.  to  hold  up  to  our  dislike  several 
incongruous  things.  On  the  other  hand,  in  vs.  25 — 28,  there 
are  four  notable  examples  of  sagacity  and  active  industry 
and  order,  which  are  designed  to  stimulate  us.  Last  of  all, 


.50  §  9.   CHARACTERISTICS  OF  PART  V. 

come  exemplars  of  comeliness  and  strength.  Nothing  in  all 
these  particulars  seems  to  be  dependent  on  the  manner  of 
their  consecution.  They  are  seized  as  they  occur  to  the 
mind,  while  it  is  employed  in  the  excogitation  of  something 
which  is  designed  to  be  enigmatical.  Consequently,  there 
is  no  mutual  connection  between  them,  and  each  is  independ 
ent  of  the  other.  And  after  all  that  we  can  do  in  the  way 
of  inquiry,  such  passages  as  vs.  15,  16,  and  also  vs.  29 — 31, 
remain  in  a  good  measure  among  the  real  riffl.  They 
seem  to  be  written  more  for  the  sake  of  entertaining  and 
interesting  the  reader,  (if  I  may  so  speak),  than  for  his  direct 
instruction.  They  are  evidently  designed  to  whet  his  curi 
osity,  and  set  him  on  the  alert,  in  order  that  he  may  educe 
from  them  something  useful.  Surely,  such  an  object  is  not 
beneath  the  office  of  him  who  teaches  youth,  in  a  book  like 
the  present,  which  has  not  a  few  passages  of  witty  and 
sarcastic  irony.  Why  should  this  be  entirely  excluded? 
Did  not  Elijah  use  the  most  cutting  irony,  in  speaking  to 
the  priests  of  Baal?  A  heathen  moralist  has  said,  that 
"  ridicule  sometimes  cuts  deeper  than  severity."  And  when 
the  wise  king  has  said,  that  "  a  sluggard,  who  dips  his  hand 
into  the  dish,  will  not  so  much  as  bring  it  to  his  mouth,"  in 
order  that  he  may  feed  himself;  and  also  that  "  the  sluggard 
will  not  turn  himself  over  in  bed,  but  must  be  rolled  over  by 
others,"  has  he  not  uttered  sarcasm,  and  held  up  such  a  man 
to  ridicule  ?  Even  so  with  Agur.  "When  he  says  that  "  there 
is  a  generation,  —  O  how  lofty  are  their  eyes,  and  their  eye 
lids  lifted  up  ! "  (v.  13),  and  again,  when  he  says  that  "  there 
are  four  things  which  the  earth  cannot  endure,"  and  counts 
among  these  "  a  servant  who  comes  to  bear  rule,"  and  "  an 
ugly  woman  who  comes  to  be  married,"  does  he  not  teach  in 
the  way  of  sarcas?n?  vs.  21 — 23.  Verses  18—21  are  indeed 
of  a  peculiar  tenor  ;  but  the  point  to  be  illustrated,  viz.  con 
cealed  wicked  doings,  is  vividly  illustraH'.*!  by  the  similes 
adduced;  although  in  the  last  of  them  thrro  is  a  boldness 


§  10.    CHARACTERISTICS  OF  PART  VI.  51 

of  illustration  that  seems  somewhat  hazardous,  in  the  view 
of  things  as  now  regarded  by  us. 

On  the  whole,  this  chapter  has  no  parallel,  and  even  no 
similar,  in  all  the  Bible.  And  still,  the  moral  and  religious 
tone  of  it  is  high.  Look  specially  at  1 — G,  8  and  9,  17,  32, 
33.  The  language  is  vivid  and  poignant  throughout.  And 
if  p.'iT'n  comes  within  the  plan  of  the  whole  collection  of 
the  book  of  Proverbs,  as  1:  6  assures  us  it  does,  we  cannot 
wonder  that  the  men  of  Hezekiali,  or  the  like  men  who  came 
after  them,  added  the  piece  before  us  to  this  book.  In  the 
narrower  sense,  hardly  any  of  the  verses  in  it  are  proverbs ; 
but  the  instructions  given  assume  the  general  costume  of 
proverbs,  i.  e.  they  exhibit  metre  and  parallelism,  although  iu 
the  laxer  sense. 

The  tenor  of  this  chapter  seems  to  render  it  certain,  that 
the  general  introduction  in  1 — 7  was  not  written,  until  this 
was  added,  and  probably  chap.  xxxi.  also  ;  for  1:  6  appears 
pointedly  to  recognize  such  a  composition  as  this.  That  the 
compilers  of  Part  IV.,  the  men  of  Hezekiah,  made  this  ad 
dition  to  the  book,  and  wrote  the  general  introduction,  cannot 
indeed  be  positively  proved ;  but  it  still  remains  quite 
probable,  that  the  book  was  completed,  and  brought  to  its 
present  form,  by  them.  If  so,  then  was  it  completed  not  far 
from  700  B.  c.  There  is  nothing  in  its  diction  or  in  the  facts 
to  which  it  adverts,  that  renders  a  junior  age  of  this  compo 
sition  necessary,  or  even  probable. 


§  10.    Characteristics  of  Part  VI.  chap.  xxxi. 

The  introduction,  in  v.  1,  tells  us  that  the  sequel  contains 
The  words  of  king  Lemuel.  It  tells  us  also,  that  he  was  king 
of  Massa  ;  and  since  30  :  1  presents  us  with  a  queen  of  Mas- 
sa,  and  Lemuel  is  said  (31:  1)  to  have  been  taught  by  his 
mother ;  and  since  the  two  compositions  (in  ch.  xxx.  xxxi.) 
are  united  together,  as  if  they  came  from  the  «ame  or  a  like 


52  §  10.    CHARACTERISTICS  OP  PART  VI. 

source  ;  we  may  reasonably  conclude,  that  both  originated 
in  Massa,  and  at  or  near  the  same  time.  For  this  cause,  it 
was  natural  to  associate  them  together,  as  the  compiler  has 
done.  In  case  this  is  conceded,  then  the  time,  place,  and 
author,  are  sufficiently  ascertained,  if  what  has  been  said  in 
§  9  is  correct. 

The  part  appropriate  to  Lemuel  consists  only  of  vs.  1 — 9. 
The  king  was  warned,  .he  says,  by  his  sagacious  mother, 
against  wine,  and  women,  and  oppression  in  the  judgment  of 
causes.  The  parallelisms  here  are  altogether  regular,  and 
unusually  synonymous.  The  verses,  indeed,  are  not  all  of  the 
same  length  ;  but  there  is  nothing  specially  notable  in  regard 
to  them,  in  this  respect.  The  composition  is  through  and 
through  gnomic  in  its  cast,  and  the  precepts  given  are  not 
only  excellent  in  a  moral  point  of  view,  but  highly  impor 
tant.  Well  might  Agur  exalt  the  excellence  of  a  mother, 
who  could  teach  thus  ;  and  in  a  filial  and  honorable  manner 
did  he  behave,  when,  although  a  king,  he  attributed  to  her 
the  honor  of  the  composition  which  he  wrote  down. 

CHAP.  31:  10—31. 

I  have  not  ranked  this  as  a  seventk  Part  of  the  book,  (as 
might  be  done),  because  it  seems  to  me  probable,  from  the 
connection  here,  that  the  same  mother  who  taught  Lemuel, 
composed  the  eulogy  that  follows,  of  a  virtuous,  or  rather  of 
an  energetic  woman  ;  or  else  the  son,  perhaps,  may  have 
composed  it  in  honor  of  his  mother.  If  it  be  objected  that 
such  occupations  as  are  here  described,  could  not  well  be 
attributed  to  the  queen-mother,  it  should  be  called  to  mind, 
that  the  queens  of  small  nations  or  tribes  were  not  exempt, 
in  those  times,  from  labor,  or  rather  from  overseeing  the 
affairs  of  their  household.  Every  classical  reader  is  familiar 
with  the  story  of  Penelope,  the  wife  of  Ulysses,  and  of  the 
web  which  she  daily  wove.  But  it  is  not  necessary,  that 
this  should  apply  personally  to  the  queen  herself  of  Massa; 


§  10.   CHARACTERISTICS  OF  PART  VI.  53 

it  is  sufficient  that  she,  or  whoever  wrote  the  piece,  had  right 
views  of  the  importance  of  industry  and  care  in  the  mistress 
of  a  household,  and  has  given  us  the  outline  of  them. 

As  to  the  eulogy  itself,  it  is  in  the  highest  style  of  paral- 
lelistic  writing.  In  perfection  of  metre,  scarcely  any  even 
of  the  Psalms  exceed  it.  Nearly  every  verse  is  a  synony 
mous  parallelism,  and  the  whole  composition  has  an  air  of 
such  simplicity,  vivacity,  and  naivete,  that  it  is  truly  admi 
rable.  From  whatever  quarter  the  composition  came,  there 
is  no  discerning  reader  who  would  not  regret  its  omission. 
The  tenor  of  it  is,  indeed,  not  the  same  as  that  of  the  Prov 
erbs  in  general ;  but  as  it  inculcates,  in  a  most  attractive 
manner,  both  industry  and  frugality,  it  falls  in  entirely  with 
the  general  spirit  and  design  of  the  Proverbs. 

One  other  circumstance  should  be  noted.  This  is,  that  the 
song  is  alphabetical,  like  a  number  of  the  Psalms,  and  the 
book  of  Lamentations.  This  method  of  writing  reminds  one 
of  our  acrostics.  Beyond  all  doubt,  such  a  composition  must 
be  designedly  artistic.  Why  this  fashion  of  writing  should 
be  introduced,  we  may  not  be  able  to  say  with  certainty,  but 
there  is  much  probability  that  the  object  in  view  was  to 
make  songs  easy  to  be  remembered.  The  alphabetic  order 
of  the  verses  would  plainly  aid  recollection.  Whether  this 
method  of  writing  belongs  only  to  the  later  Hebrew,  as 
Ewald,  and  after  him  Bertheau,  asserts,  is  a  question  that 
does  not  concern  the  passage  before  us ;  for  this  was  com 
posed,  as  we  have  seen,  in  Hezekiah's  time,  or  soon  after, 
i.  e.  not  far  from  700  u.  C.  But  in  regard  to  Ewald's  gen 
eral  assertion,  it  may  be  said,  that  violence  must  be  done  to 
the  Hebrew  text,  in  order  to  make  it  good ;  for  Ps.  xxv. 
xxxiv.  xxxvii.  are  expressly  ascribed  to  David,  in  the  title. 
I  know  not  how  the  genuineness  of  such  titles  can  be  dis 
proved.  If  not,  then  David,  the  leader  of  all  lyric  poets  among 
the  Hebrews,  practised  this  method  of  writing,  and  of  course 
it  did  not  originate  with  the  later  Hebrews. 


54  §  11.   PLAN  OF  THE  BOOK. 


§11.    Plan  of  the  Book. 

Having  thus  gone  through  with  the  several  parts  of  the 
book  before  us,  and  endeavored  to  show  the  manner  and  de 
sign  of  the  composition,  and  the  authorship  of  the  various 
portions  of  it,. it  may  be  well  to  add  some  miscellaneous 
remarks  on  the  general  nature  and  design  of  the  PLAN  which 
appears  to  have  been  followed  in  the  compilation  of  the  book. 

(1)  The  first  thing  which  strikes  us  is,  that  all  the  prov 
erbs  are  adapted  to  regulate  our  moral,  religious,  social,  and 
civil  demeanor.  Some  principle  of  conduct,  some  rule  of 
life,  some  cautions  adapted  to  produce  sobriety  and  regularity, 
lie  upon  the  face  of  the  whole  book.  Historical  allusions  are 
scarcely  found  in  it ;  and  yet  this  mode  of  proverbializing 
was  not  unknown  to  the  Hebrews,  as  one  may  see  in  Judg. 
7:13.  8:2,21.  1  Sam.  10:11.  19:24.  Such  we  meet 
with,  also,  in  the  Arabic  Proverbs  of  Meidani  (edit.  Schul- 
tens)  ;  e.  g.  "  More  profligate  than  Abu  Lahab,"  (No.  113)  ; 
"  We  have  got  Phalhas  to  sup,"  (111)  ;  "  Making  more  gain 
than  Agrab,"  (121)  ;  "More  arrogant  than  the  foolish  Tha- 
kis,"  (147)  ;  and  so  in  a  multitude  of  cases,  but  still  inter 
mingled,  now  and  then,  with  cautionary  and  preceptive 
gnomes.  So  in  the  Proverbs  of  Abu  Obaid.  A  collection 
of  proverbs  by  the  Caliph  Ali,  comes  much  nearer  to  the 
book  before  us,  since  it  is  mostly  made  up  of  didactic  pre 
cepts.  It  is  evident  throughout  the  book  of  Proverbs,  that 
the  design  is  not  to  give  that  which  can  have  only  an  indi 
vidual  application,  but  such  maxims  as  are  of  general  or 
universal  use.  The  popular  proverbs  in  mass  doubtless  com 
prised  many  which  had  an  historical  basis ;  for  this  is  usual 
among  all  nations.  But  although  the  compilers  of  the  book 
of  Proverbs  must  have  known  this,  their  design  was  to  select 
only  such  maxims  as  were  of  general  import.  Both  the 
maxims  of  Solomon,  and  of  other  wise  men,  appear  in  our 


§11.   PLAN  OF  THE  UOOK.  55 

book ;  but  only  that  part  of  either  of  them  which  was 
adapted  to  general  instruction.  The  like  to  this  \ve  find  in 
the  book  of  Psalms,  A  pure  individual  and  historical  basis 
none  of  them  have  ;  although  historical  facts  are  adverted  to 
in  some  of  them,  and  are  often  interwoven.  But  they  are 
merely  subservient,  and  not  predominant.  This,  moreover, 
is  of  course  the  most  instructive  method  in  the  propounding 
of  proverbs,  and  one  the  most  generally  useful. 

(2)  A  survey  of  the  different  parts  of  the  book,  as  to 
form  and  manner  of  arrangement,  is  fraught  with  instruc 
tion  in  regard  to  the  plan  of  the  compilers.  Evidently, 
Part  I.  was  designed  to  comprise  the  longer  and  more  con 
nected  series  of  thoughts.  If  it  arose,  as  we  have  seen  it  to 
be  probable  in  §  5.  from  combining  several  compositions  of 
different  writers,  yet  nothing  was  admitted  which  was  con 
trary  to  the  designed  plan  of  Part  I.  Like  compositions 
respecting  wisdom  and  incontinence,  and  some  other  things, 
were  brought  together,  because  both  matter  and  manner 
permitted  them  to  be  associated.  The  whole  forms  an 
appropriate  introduction  to  the  rest  of  the  book. 

On  the  other  hand,  Part  II.  consists  wholly,  as  we  have 
seen,  of  proverbs  completed  in  one  sentence.  From  whatever 
sources  the  proverbs  were  selected,  only  such  were  admitted 
as  belonged  to  this  category.  Not  even  a  mixture  of  long 
and  short  was  allowed,  as  in  the  rest  of  the  book.  Solomon 
himself,  or  any  other  person  who  selected  from  him,  adhered 
rigidly  to  this  rule  through  the  whole  of  Part  II. 

It  was  not  because  Solomon  composed  no  other  than  simple 
and  single  proverbs,  that  no  other  are  admitted  into  this  Part 
for  Part  IV.,  selected  from  Solomon's  works,  exhibits  every 
variety  of  proverb.  It  was  plainly  because  the  plan  of 
selection  rejected  all  the  longer  gnomes.  On  this  ground, 
moreover,  it  becomes  plain,  why  Part  IV.  is  separated  from 
Part  II.  by  intervening  matter,  viz.  the  words  of  the  wise. 
If  the  men  of  Hezekiah's  time  had  not  found  Parts  I — III. 


56  §  11.  PLAN  OF  THE  BOOK. 

already  collected  and  united  together,  they  doubtless  would 
have  joined  Part  IV.  to  Part  II.,  still  preserving  the  title. 
That  they  did  not  adopt  this  order,  seems  to  be  the  conse 
quence  of  possessing  an  older  and  an  authoritative  compila 
tion  already  made  and  received,  and  current  probably  for  a 
long  time  among  the  Hebrews.  This  they  would  not  ven 
ture  to  disturb.  They  merely  added  other  things,  therefore, 
of  like  nature,  although  sometimes  discrepant  in  respect  to 
form.  Consequently,  the  plan  was  completed,  by  adding 
Parts  IV.  V.  and  VI. ;  which  are  nearly  all  of  the  mixed 
kinds  of  composition. 

In  22 :  20,  the  compiler,  or  he  who  added  Part  III.  to  the 
first  two,  in  his  introduction  to  Part  III.,  speaks  of  the 
precepts  which  "  he  had  before  'Written "  to  instruct  the 
reader.  This  helps,  therefore,  to  distinguish  Part  III.  from 
that  which  precedes.  In  all  probability,  he  who  added  this 
third  part,  did  not  compose  it,  but  transferred  it  from  other 
collections  of  proverbs.  But  nothing  hinders  our  supposing 
that  this  compiler  was  Solomon  himself.  Indeed,  it  is  diffi 
cult  to  understand  22 :  20,  in  any  other  way,  than  to  suppose 
this  to  be  implied;  for  who  else  wrote  the  preceding 
Part  II.  ? 

Bertheau  says,  that  the  title  in  10:  1,  The  Proverbs  of 
Solomon,  necessarily  implies  that  what  precedes  (c.  i — ix.) 
was  not  regarded  by  the  compiler  as  belonging  to  Solomon. 
I  do  not  consider  this  criticism  to  be  well  grounded.  The 
title  in  10 :  1  is  the  result  of  a  plan,  which  separates  one 
kind  of  gnomes  from  another,  since  they  differ  in  respect  to 
form  and  length.  Part  II.  stood  by  itself  at  first ;  and  when 
inserted  in  the  compilation,  it  was  inserted  entire,  title  and 
all.  But  this  does  not  make,  by  any  fair  construction,  any 
denial  of  Solomon's  claim  to  authorship  in  respect  to  some, 
or  even  all,  of  Part  I.  For  other  reasons  which  have  been 
stated  above  (§  5),  we  conclude  that  there  were  several 
authors  concerned  with  the  writing  of  Part  I. ;  but  the 


§11.   PLAN  ot  THE  BOOK.  57 

reason  in  question,  considering  the  nature  of  the  case,  can 
hardly  be  deemed  valid. 

(3)  It  has  already  been  brought  to  view,  that  the  general 
introduction  in  1 :  1 — 7,  must  have  been  written  after  the  com 
pilation  of  the  whole  book  was  made.  The  ground  of  this  is, 
that  in  1 :  6,  mention  is  made  of  the  words  of  the  wise,  which 
are  to  be  produced,  as  well  as  the  proverbs  of  Solomon. 
This  title,  as  we  have  seen,  is  found  in  22 :  17,  which  begins 
Part  III.  of  the  book,  and  this  Part  includes  22:17— 
24 :  34,  i.  e.  two  and  a  half  chapters.  Then  follows  the 
selection  from  Solomon's  writings,  by  the  men  of  Hezekiah, 
xxv — xxix. ;  and  after  this  the  compositions  of  Agur  and 
of  Lemuel,  together  with  the  eulogy  that  closes  the  book. 
Bertheau  classes  under  or  among  the  words  of  the  wise, 
these  last  compositions.  This  may  be  allowed,  in  one 
respect;  for  doubtless  both  of  these  authors  are  to  be 
classed  among  the  wise.  But  I  apprehend  that  Bertheau, 
and  all  other  critics  whom  I  have  seen,  have  failed  to  dis 
cover,  in  the  general  introduction  (1 :  1 — 7),  what  is  intended 
(I  might  say)  to  specificate  the  last  part  of  the  book.  Chap. 
1 :  6  runs  thus  :  "  So  that  he  may  understand  a  proverb,  and 
a  dark  saying,  —  the  words  of  the  wise,  and  their  enigmas" 
Whoever  reads  attentively  chap,  xxx.,  will  see  at  once  what 
dark  saying  and  enigmas  here  mean.  How  exactly  these 
words  characterize  this  chapter,  must  be  felt,  indeed,  by 
every  discerning  reader.  When  commentators  of  the  pres 
ent  day  have  done  their  utmost,  they  are  obliged  to  confess, 
as  I  have  done,  that  they  can  see  but  darkly.  There  are 
parts  of  the  chapter  that  yet  remain  in  a  measure  unex 
plained, —  not  as  to  the  language,  perhaps,  but  as  to  the 
design  of  the  writer.  Nearly  the  whole  chapter  puts  on 
veiled  or  enigmatical  forms.  The  meaning  of  most  can  be 
made  out  by  diligence ;  but  it  requires  not  a  little  both  of 
diligence  and  of  knowledge  to  make  it  out  satisfactorily.  In 
view  of  this,  all  seems  to  be  plain  in  1  :  6.  Not  only  is 


58  §  11.   PLAN  OF  THE  BOOK. 

22:  17 — 24:  34  designated  by  the  words  of  the  wise,  but  the 
closing  part  of  the  book  seems  to  be  specifically  designated 
by  dark  sayings  and  enigmas. 

From  this  view  of  the  matter,  it  appears  quite  certain, 
that  the  general  introduction  in  1:  1 — 7  was  designed  to 
cover  the  whole  ground,  and  therefore  must  have  been  written 
when  the  collection  or  compilation  was  completed.  Of 
course  this  introduction  came  from  a  later  hand,  from  some 
one  who  lived  at  or  after  the  time  of  Agur  and  Lemuel. 

The  whole  order  of  the  book  in  general  reminds  us  of 
the  order  of  the  five  parts  of  the  Psalms.  Passing  by 
Prov.  i — ix.,  as  an  appropriate  introduction  to  the  book  in 
general,  we  have  in  Part  II.  the  proverbs  of  Solomon ;  in 
Part  III.  the  words  of  the  wise;  in  Part  IV.  again  the 
proverbs  of  Solomon  ;  in  Parts  V.  VI.  the  words  of  Agur 
and  Lemuel.  So  with  the  book  of  Psalms ;  Part  I.  the 
Songs  of  David,  ii — xli.  Part  II.  songs  of  Davidic  sing 
ers,  xlii — 1.  Part  III.  David  again,  li — Ixxii.  Part  IV. 
Davidic  singers  again.  (Exceptions  in  these  parts  are  few^. 
So  there  comes  David,  his  contemporary  singers,  and  then 
David  again,  followed  again  by  them.  So  in  Proverbs; 
beginning  with  c.  x.,  we  have  first  Solomon,  then  his  con 
temporaries  ;  then  Solomon  again,  followed  at  the  close  by 
Agur  and  Lemuel.  The  two  last  Parts,  like  the  two  last  in 
the  Psalms,  were  added  to  the  book,  before  extant,  a  consid 
erable  time  after  the  first  two  were  in  circulation. 

There  can  be  no  doubt,  that  a  book  like  that  of  the  Prov 
erbs,  must  have  arisen  gradually.  These  proverbs  had 
many  of  them,  doubtless,  been  long  in  circulation  ;  and  they 
were  adopted  by  the  compilers  because  of  their  truth,  and 
of  their  moral,  civil,  social,  and  economical  worth.  But  the 
book  was  not  so  long  in  being  completed,  as  the  book  of 
Psalms.  If  we  regard  David  as  commencing  this  last 
book  about  the  latter  half  of  the  eleventh  century  B.  c., 
and  call  to  mind  that  it  was  not  closed  until  after  the 


§  12.  IDIOM&.  59 

return  from  the  Babylonish  exile,  it  must  have  been 
receiving  accessions  for  about  five  hundred  years.  In 
the  case  before  us,  we  do  not  go  down  much  beyond  three 
hundred  years  from  the  commencement  of  the  book,  in 
order  to  find  the  probable  completion  of  it 


§  12,    Idioms  and  Peculiarities  of  the  Book* 

(1)  Those  who  have  been  disposed  to  find  a  late  period 
for  the  composition  of  Proverbs,  have  ill  succeeded  in  find 
ing    arguments    to    correspond    with    their  wishes.     From 
beginning  to  end,  the  Hebrew  bears  no  special  marks  of 
the  later  dialect.     Indeed  one  is  astonished,  considering  the 
nature  of  the  composition,  to  find  how  few  of   the  wrords 
vary  from  the  older  Hebrew.     It  was  to  be  expected,  that  a 
book  which  records  the  maxims  and  gnomes  of  the  common 
people  and  every-day  life,  would  exhibit  many  a  word  and 
phrase   not  elsewhere  to  be  found  ;  since  the  language  of 
popular  intercourse  usually  varies  much  from  that  of  books. 
Yet  seldom  do  we  find  much  difficulty  here  in  regard  to  this 
matter.     We  find  indeed,  of  necessity,  and  from  the  very 
nature  of  the  case,  many  expressions  of  sentiment  nowhere 
else  to  be  found ;  but  the  costume  of  this  varies  little  from 
that  of  the  common  Hebrew. 

In  the  grammatical  forms,  there  are  some  traits  which  are 
noticeable.  One  of  these  is,  the  frequency  with  which  the 
paragogic  or  demonstrative  5  is  employed,  before  the  suffixes 
appended  to  verbs ;  e.  g.  in  2  :  4,  nrrprirn  and  Si2ir&nn ,  and 
the  like.  I  have  not  kept  count  of  these  paragogics  thus 
employed,  but  I  have  an  impression  that  they  are  the 
predominant  usage  of  the  book,  in  cases  of  a  verbal-suffix 
to  the  Imperfect. 

(2)  Another  particular  deserves  special  notice,  as  it  has 
an  important   bearing  on  the  grammar,  or  rather  on  the 
exegesis,  of  the  language.     This  is,  that  the  plural  number* 


60  §  12.   IDIOMS. 

specially  of  the  feminine,  is  very  often  employed  in  the 
way  of  intensity,  and  also  as  a  method  of  constituting  abstract 
nouns.  E.  g.  in  1:  20.  9:  1,  we  find  nvcrn  plural,  joined 
with  a  verb  singular,  because  the  idea  is  an  abstract  one,  or 
because  (more  probably)  the  plural  form  merely  denotes 
wisdom  par  excellence.  Nowhere  have  I  met  with  this  usage 
so  often  as  in  this  book ;  and  many  a  passage  would  have 
gained  much  in  our  English  version,  had  our  translators 
well  understood  this.  Besides,  it  saves  much  grammatical 
difficulty.  Where  a  plural  noun  is  joined  with  a  verb 
singular,  it  has  been  often  put  to  the  score  of  anomaly ; 
whereas,  in  many,  if  not  most,  of  these  cases,  there  is 
merely  a  concord  ad  sensum,  in  respect  to  the  noun  and  the 
verb.  For  example,  rn^sn ,  as  above  represented,  is  either 
an  abstract  noun,  or  a  designation  of  intensity  ;  and  in  either 
case  the  sense  is  that  of  the  singular.  Hence  the  verb 
singular.  —  Just  so  with  £*•*}?:*  elsewhere.  It  is  a  plural  of 
intensity;  God  par  excellence.  Hence  the  singular  verb 
joined  to  it.  —  It  is  impossible  for  any  one  to  read  the  book 
of  Proverbs,  with  these  principles  of  construction  in  view, 
without  a  feeling  that  the  usage  in  question  widely  pervades 
the  Hebrew  language.  But  it  appears,  as  I  believe,  no 
where  so  often  as  here. 

(3)  In  such  a  book  as  that  before  us,  there  must  of 
necessity  be  some  peculiar  words,  used  as  the  names  of 
things  which  are  nowhere  else  mentioned.  But  still,  the 
ana's  fayopsva  here  are  not  numerous.  In  the  cases  which 
follow,  some  are  peculiar  as  to  form  ;  some  peculiar  as  to 
meaning;  and  some  occur  in  no  other  book.  E.  g.  1:  10, 
&dh  =  nn'xn;  3:  2G,  izb  ;  12  :  27,  rprn  ;  15 :  4,  nbo  (bis)  ; 
17:  3.  27:  21,  cfls-a  ;  17:  14,  s&arpi  ;  17:  22,  raa  ;  18:  8, 
;  22:  8,  \7l  ;  22:  14,  nss  ;  23 :  7,  W;  23  :  21, 

»5  ;  23 :  28,  tj-jn  ;  23 :  19,  Tax  ;  23 :  34,  bsn  ;  25 :  11, 
;  26:  8,  rrcaT?  ;  2G:  18.  fibnbira;  27:  15,  ^ao  ;  29:  11, 
29 :  21,  r>S3*  ;  31  :  19,  "rtia-3  :  ib.  T&3.  Probably 


§  13.  IMPORTANCE  OF  THE  BOOK.  61 

I  may  have  overlooked  some  of  the  same  nature.  But  this 
is  a  small  list,  considering  the  extent  of  the  book,  and  also 
the  great  variety  of  subjects  which  it  exhibits.  Every  book 
of  any  considerable  length,  has  of  course  its  anas  keyopsra  ; 
and  a  book  which  exhibits  the  language  of  popular  inter 
course,  may  be  expected  usually  to  have  many  words  of 
this  class.  We  can  only  say,  that  here  are  fewer  peculiar 
words  than  one  would  naturally  expect.  Besides,  the  fact 
of  some  words  being  peculiar  to  this  book,  establishes  noth 
ing  either  as  to  the  antiquity  or  the  lateness  of  them.  The 
indicia  of  later  Hebrew,  such  as  we  find  so  frequently  in 
Coheleth,  are  not  to  be  met  with  here.  The  difference  in 
style  and  diction  between  the  two  books,  is  a  thing  so  palpa 
ble,  that  no  one  can  help  seeing  and  feeling  it,  who  is 
familiar  enough  with  Hebrew  to  judge  of  a  difference  in 
style. 

§  13.  Practical  Importance  of  the  Booh 

Gnomes,  proverbs,  comparisons,  and  even  enigmas,  have 
always  been  the  storehouse  of  a  nation's  practical  wisdom 
and  ingenuity,  in  the  earlier  stages  of  its  existence.  A  nation 
without  any  books,  and  unacquainted  with  the  art  of  writing, 
could  perpetuate  the  wisdom  of  its  leaders,  only  in  the  way 
of  handing  down,  traditionally  and  orally,  the  maxims  and 
short  sayings  of  wise  men.  These  usually  obtained  so  much 
currency  and  credit,  that  subsequent  literary  acquirements 
rarely  expelled  many  of  them  from  their  wonted  circulation. 
Few  proverbs,  perhaps,  are  originated,  after  a  cultivated  state 
begins  ;  but  the  mass  of  any  people  are  not  dependent  on 
books,  for  the  modes  of  intercourse  which  prevail  among 
them.  In  fact,  the  proverbs  which  are  rife  and  continuous 
among  any  people,  are  always  indicative  of  their  manners, 
habits,  and  feelings.  They  contain  a  compendious  history 
of  a  nation's  mental  exercises,  in  regard  to  all  the  various 
objects  of  thought  and  reflection.  They  are  the  result  of 
6 


62  §  13.  IMPORTANCE  OF  THE  BOOK, 

experience,  of  sagacity,  of  a  knowledge  of  men  and  things ; 
and  they  serve  an  important  purpose  in  stimulating  as  well 
as  enlightening  them. 

It  is  no  matter  of  wonder,  then,  that  every  nation  which 
has  made  any  figure  on  the  world's  stage,  should  abound  in 
proverbs.  The  oldest  gnome  of  the  enigmatical  kind,  which 
we  find  on  record,  is  that  of  Samson,  in  Judg.  14:  12 — 18, 
which  takes  the  form  of  what  we  call  a  riddle.  Doubtless 
the  Hebrews  must  have  had  an  almost  inexhaustible  store 
of  proverbs,  since  \ve  find  that  Solomon  alone  spoke  three 
thousand  of  them,  1  K.  4  :  32.  If,  as  seems  probable  (§  6. 5), 
Solomon  added  Part  III.  of  the  Proverbs  to  the  other  two 
preceding  Parts,  and  selected  it  from  the  works  of  other  wise 
men,  it  would  seem  that  the  Hebrews  abounded  in  proverbial 
lore,  at  that  period,  beyond  almost  any  other  nation.  The 
Arabians,  however,  who  are  a  kindred  people,  and  one  of 
lively  fancy,  vivid  imagination,  and  ready,  poignant  wit,  have 
perhaps  outdone  the  Hebrews  in  this  respect.  Lockman,  an 
alleged  contemporary  of  Solomon,  the  author  of  some  beauti 
ful  Arabic  Fables,  exhibits  many  proverbial  sayings  in  them ; 
and  in  later  writers,  such  as  Meidani,  Tsamahshari,  Abu 
Obeid,  and  the  Caliph  Ali,  appear  a  great  multitude  of 
gnomic  sayings.  Burckhardt  made  an  immense  collection, 
which  has  since  been  published.  In  Persia,  Ferid  Attar 
and  Sadi  have  exhibited  many  select  apothegms  of  their 
nation.  The  Scythians  (Herod,  iv.  31),  the  Hindoos,  and 
the  Chinese,  possessed  like  stores.  Even  Odin,  in  northern 
Europe,  had  a  proverbial  system  of  ethics  ;  (see  Eddae 
Saemundianae  Pars  dicta  Havamoal,  edit.  Resenii).  Among 
the  Greeks  and  Latins,  also,  are  many  gnomic  productions. 
Proverbs  have  always  been,  with  the  mass  of  the  people 
everywhere,  the  most  favored  kind  of  moral  lore. 

Imagine  a  people,  like  the  ancient  Hebrews,  destitute  of 
books  and  the  art  of  printing,  and  then  ask :  What  would  be 
the  value  of  such  Proverbs  as  are  contained  in  the  book 


§  13.  IMPORTANCE  OF  THE  PROVERBS.  63 

before  us  ?  It  would  be  almost  beyond  estimation.  Short, 
pithy,  pointed,  sensible  sayings,  imprint  themselves  deeply 
on  the  mind  and  memory ;  and  by  these,  a  people  may 
become  in  a  good  measure  instructed  in  their  moral,  civil, 
and  social  duties.  One  advantage  is,  that  the  mind  comes 
to  have  within  itself  the  stores  to  which  it  may  resort  for 
prudential  counsel  in  time  of  need.  It  must  not  be  supposed, 
that  all  the  proverbs  of  Solomon  were  composed  de  novo  by 
him.  They  came  originally  from  many  thinking  minds,  in 
different  conditions  of  life,  and  with  a  great  variety  of  expe 
rience.  Solomon  selected  many,  composed  others,  and  put 
together  those  which  he  judged  to  be  true,  most  striking,  and 
most  worthy  to  be  preserved.  No  matter  what  their  origin 
was,  whether  among  men  inspired  or  uninspired ;  for  surely, 
inspiration  or  special  divine  suggestion,  was  not  needed  for 
the  composition  of  many  of  the  Proverbs.  The  natural  wit, 
and  discernment,  and  talent  for  observation,  which  many 
shrewd  men  possessed,  was  adequate  to  such  a  task.  Nee 
Deus  mtersit,  nisi  dignus  vindice  nodus  —  may  be  applied  in 
this  case.  But  all  these  proverbs  had  afterwards  the  sanction 
of  an  inspired  man,  as  to  their  truth  and  importance ;  and 
consequently  they  are  of  the  same  authority  as  if  composed 
de  novo  by  the  compilers.  The  case  is  like  that  of  the  book 
of  Genesis ;  which,  as  we  can  hardly  doubt,  originated  from 
various  sources,  but  passed  through  the  hands  of  Moses,  and 
received  its  present  shape  from  him,  and  is,  therefore,  now 
stamped  with  his  authority.  It  matters  not,  then,  how  much 
of  the  book  of  Proverbs  Solomon  actually  composed  ;  we  only 
need  his  sanction  to  what  it  now  contains. 

In  looking  carefully  through  the  whole  book,  there  will  be 
seen  a  collection  of  moral  and  prudential  maxims,  which 
attain  a  high  elevation  in  the  dominion  of  morality,  industry, 
social  kindness,  and  indeed  of  all  the  civil  and  social  virtues. 
A  people  who  originated  these,  and  brought  them  into  pop 
ular  use,  must  needs  have  made  great  advances  in  civil  arid 


64  §  13.  IMPORTANCE  OF  THE  PKOVEKBS. 

social  life.  A  Caft're  or  a  Tartar  could  hardly  understand 
them,  even  if  proposed  in  his  own  language  ;  and  if  he  should, 
he  would  have  little  relish  for  them.  To  have  received  and 
retained  them,  then,  and  set  so  much  value  on  them  as  the 
Hebrews  did,  shows  a  state  of  moral  cultivation,  in  the  time 
of  Solomon  and  Hezekiah,  by  no  means  of  an  inferior  grade. 
It  cannot  be  denied  that  there  is  a  high  tone  of  religion, 
morals,  social  obligation,  and  even  comity,  pervading  the 
whole  book.  Humility  before  God,  reverence  for  him,  the 
love  of  our  neighbor,  justice,  kindness,  temperance,  gentleness 
of  spirit  and  demeanor,  prudence,  economy,  active  diligence, 
chastity,  purity,  of  heart,  modesty,  and  (in  a  word)  all 
which  makes  men  happy  in  themselves,  and  creates  a  happy 
state  of  society,  are  exhibited  and  urged  in  the  most  pointed 
manner  in  the  book  before  us.  And  we,  after  all  the  light 
which  Christianity  has  shed  upon  us,  could  not  part  with 
this  book  without  a  severe  loss.  Better  by  far  to  loose  all 
that  Socrates,  and  Plato,  and  Plutarch,  and  Epictetus,  and 
Cicero,  and  Seneca,  and  their  heathen  compeers,  ever  left 
behind  them,  on  subjects  of  this  nature.  Pity  that  the  book 
is  not  more  studied,  and  better  understood,  by  Christians  of 
the  present  day !  A  popular  exhibition  of  the  results  of 
critical  examination,  with  a  plain  and  explicit  statement  of 
the  real  sentiment  conveyed  by  each  proverb  where  there  is 
any  obscurity,  would  be,  as  I  cannot  but  hope,  a  favorite  book 
for  the  people  ;  and  at  all  events  an  exceedingly  useful  one. 
The  book  contains  a  striking  exhibition  of  practical  wisdom, 
so  striking  that  it  can  never  be  antiquated. 

§  14.   Ancient  Versions  of  the  Book. 

I.   THE  SEPTUAGINT. 

Eichhorn,  after  commending  the  Sept.  translation  of  the 
Pentateuch  above  that  of  any  other  books  of  the  Old  Testa 
ment,  proceeds  thus  :  "  The  next  place  must  be  given  to  the 


§  14.  ANCIENT  VERSIONS  :   SEPTUAGINT.  65 

translator  of  the  Proverbs.  His  work  proceeds  not  in  the 
stiff  gait  of  a  dictionary ;  for  he  had  both  languages  at  his 
command.  Often,  he  expresses  merely  the  .sense  of  the 
original ;  but  when  he  misses  that,  you  recognize  his  genius 
even  in  his  mistakes,"  Einl.  §  165. 

I  apprehend  that  one  would  get  but  an  imperfect  view  of 
the  Sept.  version  of  Proverbs,  from  reading  such  a  passage 
as  this.  The  stiff  gait  of  a  dictionary,  I  suppose,  means  a 
literal  translation  made  out  by  the  help  of  a  lexicon  merely, 
—  help  in  regard  to  the  sense  given  to  the  words.  And  true 
enough  it  is,  that  the  translator  does  not  limit  himself  to  any 
lexicographal  bounds.  Almost  everywhere,  and  on  all  occa 
sions,  does  he  overleap  them,  more  or  less.  Why  he  does 
so,  Eichhorn  does  not  go  on  to  explain,  excepting  that  he 
says  of  the  translator,  that  "he  had  both  languages  at  his 
command."  One  who  has  compared  the  version  throughout 
with  the  original  Hebrew,  will  be  slow,  I  apprehend,  to 
claim  for  the  translator  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  Hebrew, 
whatever  he  may  affirm  of  his  acquaintance  with  the  Greek. 
Undoubtedly,  he  approaches  nearer  to  a  classical  diction,  than 
any  other  Septuagintal  translator.  He  seems  to  have  been 
conversant  with  the  classic  Greek,  and  to  have  taken  great 
pains  to  make  his  version  bear  the  stamp  of  it.  There  is  no 
other  book  in  all  the  Septuagint,  which  has  so  few  Hellenisms 
as  the  book  of  Proverbs.  If  it  be  any  praise,  in  a  case  like 
the  present,  to  aim  at  and  exhibit  classicity  of  style,  then  has 
our  Greek  translator  acquired  a  right  to  eulogy,  so  far  as 
Uiis  is  concerned.  But  alas  for  the  reader  of  this  version  ! 
He  can  surely  acquire  but  a  very  imperfect  view  of  the 
original  by  means  of  it.  The  liberties  taken  with  the 
Hebrew  are  almost  beyond  calculation.  A  literal  or  exact 
rendering  of  it  is  indeed,  one  might  almost  say,  the  exception 
rather  than  the  rule.  But  classical  Greek  is  no  compensation 
for  this.  We  go  to  such  a  translation,  rather  to  find  what 
the  Hebrew  original  means >  than  lo  find  classical  Greek;  for 


66  §  14.   ANCIENT  VERSIONS  :  SEPTUAGINT. 

this  we  can  find,  in  a  better  form,  in  the  classics  themselves. 
Consequently,  its  unfaithfulness  to  the  original  is  not  com 
pensated  for,  by  any  skill  in  selecting  Greek  words  which 
are  aesthetically  good.  I  am  aware  that  some  critics  have 
spoken  of  this  Greek  version  of  the  Proverbs,  as  standing  on 
a  level  with  the  golden  verses  of  Pythagoras.  For  its 
moral  and  religious  qualities,  it  is  undoubtedly  far  above  the 
verses  of  that  celebrated  sage.  But  this  belongs  to  the 
original  writer,  and  not  to  the  translator. 

In  an  introduction  like  the  present,  there  is  no  room  for 
an  expanded  view  of  the  faults  of  the  translation  before  us. 
All  which  I  shall  aim  at  will  be,  to  give  specimens  of  whole 
classes  of  additions  ;  of  omissions  ;  of  strange  and  peculiar 
renderings,  which  do  no  justice  to  the  original,  and  for  which 
we  cannot  well  account ;  and  also  of  cases  where  error  was 
committed  by  mistaking  the  proper  vowels,  or  mistaking  sim 
ilar  letters. 

(1)  ADDITIONS.  These  are  either  a  single  clause,  two 
clauses,  three,  four,  etc.,  even  up  to  several  verses.  Speci- 
meas  I  shall  now  subjoin,  presenting  them  in  English,  for 
the  convenience  of  the  reader.  The  literal  translation  of 
the  Hebrew  is  printed  in  the  usual  type,  while  the  Sept. 
version  beneath  it  is  thrown  into  small  type. 

Chap.  1 :  18.  But  these  lie  in  wait  for  their  own  blood ; 
they  lurk  for  their  own  lives. 

For  these  are  partakers  of  murder;  they  treasure  up  evil  for  them 
selves  ;  but  the  destruction  of  transgressors  is  grievous. 

We  can  account  for  treasure  up  here,  because  the  Hebrew 
word  "|S^  sometimes  means  to  lay  up  or  conceal  treasures ; 
but  the  concealing,  in  the  case  before  us,  is  concealing  them 
selves,  and  not  hiding  treasures.  The  last  clause  is  con 
structed  of  de  novo  material. 

3 :  15.  More  precious  is  she  [wisdom]  than  pearls,  and  all 
thy  jewels  cannot  compare  with  her. 


§  14.   ANCIENT  VERSIONS  :   SEPTUAGINT.  67 

More  valuable  is  she  than  precious  stones ;  nothing  bad  can  compare 
Tith  her  ;  she  is  well  known  to  all  those  who  draw  nigh  to  her,  and  no 
precious  thing  is  comparable  to  her. 

Here  is  a  whole  verse,  or  two  clauses,  without  any  voucher 
for  it  in  the  original. 

4 :  27.  Turn  not  aside  to  the  right  or  to  the  left ;  withdraw 
thy  foot  from  evil. 

Incline  riot  to  the  right  or  to  the  left ;  turn  away  thy  foot  from  the 
way  of  evil ;  for  the  ways  which  arc  on  the  right,  God  knoweth,  and 
those  on  the  left  are  perverted ;  but  he  will  make  thy  paths  straight, 
and  lead  on  thy  goings  in  peace. 

Here  are  two  short,  yet  entire,  verses  added. 

6:8.  In  summer  she  [the  ant]  prepareth  her  food ;  at 
harvest-time  she  hath  gathered  her  provender. 

She  prepares  her  food  in  summer;  and  makes  much  store  in  harvest. 
Or,  go  to  the  bee,  and  learn  how  laborious  she  is,  and  how  decorously 
she  executes  her  task ;  the  fruit  of  her  labors  kings  and  private  persons 
make  use  of  for  health ;  she  is  desired  by  all,  and  is  illustrious ;  and 
although  weak  in  respect  to  strength,  since  she  honors  wisdom,  she  is 
promoted. 

This  is  travelling  out  of  the  record,  with  a  witness. 

16:  5.  An  abomination  of  Jehovah  is  every  man  of  a 
lofty  mind ;  should  hand  be  added  to  hand,  he  will  not  go 
unpunished. 

Unclean  before  God  is  every  one  of  a  proud  heart ;  thrusting  hands 
into  hand  unrighteously,  he  shall  not  go  unpunished.  The  beginning 
of  a  good  way  is  doing  righteously,  and  is  acceptable  to  God,  rather 
than  slaying  sacrifices  ;  he  who  seeketh  the  Lord,  shall  find  knowledge 
with  righteousness,  and  they  who  seek  him  rightly  shall  find  peace. 
All  the  works  of  the  Lord  are  with  righteousness  5  but  the  ungodly  is 
reserved  for  the  day  of  evil. 

Such  are  some  of  the  specimens  of  the  boldness,  with 
which  the  translator  executed  his  task.  But  after  24 :  22, 
follows  a  whole  passage,  inserted  between  vs.  22  and  23, 


68  §  14.  ANCIENT  VERSIONS  :   SEPTUAGINT. 

together  with  30:  1 — 14  joined  on  to  it,  and   transferred 
hither  from  its  proper  place.     It  runs  thus  :  — 

The  son  who  keepeth  the  word,  shall  be  free  from  destruction ;  and 
whoever  has  received  it,  let  him  utter  to  the  king  no  falsehood  from 
his  tongue,  and  let  nothing  false  go  forth  from  his  tongue.  The 
tongue  of  a  king  is  a  sword,  and  not  fleshly ;  and  whomsoever  he  shall 
deliver  up>  shall  be  dashed  in  pieces ;  for  if  his  anger  be  excited,  he 
destroys  men  with  chords,  and  devours  the  bones  of  men ;  yea,  he 
consumes  them  as  a  flame,  so  that  they  cannot  be  eaten  by  the  young 
of  eagles.  My  son.  fear  my  words ;  and  receiving  them,  repent. 

How  tame,  and  spiritless,  and  incongruous,  all  this  sheer 
interpolation  is,  will  be  felt  by  every  intelligent  reader.  It 
is  unnecessary  to  comment  upon  it.  It  is  well  that  there 
are  not  many  such  passages  as  this,  either  as  to  extent  or 
taste;  for  then  the  version,  as  such,  with  all  its  boasted 
classic  Greek,  could  scarcely  be  redeemed  from  contempt. 

Let  not  the  reader  imagine,  however,  that  I  havTe  given 
him  anything  more  than  a  mere  prelibation.  But  my  limits 
forbid  extracting  any  more  under  this  category.  Instead  of 
this,  I  would  refer  any  one  who  wishes  to  pursue  the  subject 
of  comparison  for  himself,  to  the  texts  cited  in  the  margin.1 

Among  these  more  than  fifty  texts  will  be  found  very 
many  which  add  a  whole  verse,  and  some  which  consist  of 
two  or  more  verses.  And  all  these,  be  it  noted,  are  only  a 
moderate  portion  of  the  verses  which  have  added  something 
to  the  text,  or  at  least  inserted  something  which  is  not  in  it. 
Had  I  catalogued  the  whole,  it  would  amount  to  some  twenty 
or  twenty-five  per  cent,  of  the  whole  book.  As  it  is,  we 
have  here  more  than  sixty  verses,  (including  those  produced 
at  length  above,  and  such  additions  as  include  two  or  more 

1  See  1  :  7,  14.  3:  16,  18,  22,  28.  4:  10.  5:2,  1G.  6:11,  16,  25.  7:2. 
8:  21.  9:7,  10,  12,  18.  10:4.  11:  16.  12:  11,  13,  26.  13:9,  11,13,  22. 
15:5,  13,  27,  29;  30,  33.  16:17.  27,  28.  17:5,  6.  16:21.  18:22. 
19:7.  22:9,  14,30.  24:7.  25:10,20.  26:11.  27:20.  21.  28:17. 
23  :  7,  25.  31  :  3. 


§14.   ANCIENT  VERSIONS  :   SEPTUAGINT.  69 

verses),  which  are  made  de  novo  by  the  translator,  so  that 
if  no  more  were  reckoned,  we  have  a  proportion  of  some 
sixty-five  to  the  whole  number  of  verses  =  917.  In  other 
words,  we  make  out  fourteen  per  cent,  of  adulteration  of  text 
by  direct  interpolation.  A  formidable  mass,  indeed,  in  a 
professed  copy  of  the  original !  But  if  to  this,  one  should 
add  all  the  minuter  additions  or  variations,  he  must  swell 
the  account  to  the  full  amount  above  stated,  or  even  more. 

(2)  OMISSIONS.    First  of  a  clause  ;  e.  g.  8  :  29,  where  the 
Hebrew  runs  thus :  "  When   he  marked  out  for  the  sea  its 
limit,  so  that  the  waters  should  not  pass  beyond  its  shore  ; 
when  he  defined  the  foundations  of  the  earth."     For  all  this 
the  Sept.  has  only  :  "  When  he  made  strong  the  foundations 
of  the  earth."  The  like  in  3  :  3.  4:5.  7  :  25.  17  :  19.  21  :  18. 
In  other  cases  a  whole  verse,  and  sometimes  several  verses, 
are   omitted;    e.  g.   11:4.     After  15 :  29,    a   new   chapter 
begins,  and  then,  after  giving  v.  1  of  chap,  xvi.,  vs.  30,  32,  33, 
of  chap.  xv.  are  inserted,  while  v.  31   is  wholly  omitted. 
After  16:  1,  these  three  verses  of  chap.  xv.  are  not  only 
inserted,  but  vs.  2 — 4  belonging   to  chap.  xvi.  are  wholly 
omitted.     After  18 :  22,  vs.  23,  24  are  omitted.     In  chap. 
xix.,  vs.  1,2  are  omitted,  and  v.  3  is  tacked  on  to  the  end  of 
chap,  xviii.,  so  that  chap.  xix.  begins  with  v.  4.  In  chap.  xx.? 
after  v.  9,  comes  vs.  20 — 22  ;  and  not  only  this,  but  vs.  14— 
19  are  wholly  omitted.     After  22 :  5,  v.  6  is  wholly  omitted. 
Put  all  these  together,  and  we  have  a  serious  defalcation 
and  departure  from  the  original  Hebrew. 

(3)  PECULIAR    DEPARTURES   from    the    original    text. 
These  are  so  numerous  that  they  cannot  well  be  reckoned. 
I  need  to  give  but  a  few  specimens  to  show  the  nature  of 
them.     Thus    1:12,   "Let  us  swallow   them    up   alive   as 
Hades ;  and  let  those  in  a  sound  condition  be  as  those  who 
go  down   to  the  pit."     For  the  last  clause,  the  Sept.   has 
the  following :  "  And  let  us  take  away  their  remembrance 
from  the  earth."     In  2:16.  thf   Hebrew  runs  thus  :  "That. 


70  §  14.   ANCIENT  VERSIONS  :  SEPTUAGINT. 

they  may  deliver  thee  from  the  strange  woman ;  from  the 
stranger  who  maketh  smooth  her  words."  The  Sept.  says  : 
"To  remove  thee  from  the  straight  way,  [to  make  thee]  a 
stranger  to  righteous  knowledge.  My  son,  let  not  evil 
counsel  take  hold  of  thee."  In  14:  9,  the  Hebrew  stands 
thus:  " Sin-offering  mocketh  fools;  but  with  the  upright, 
there  is  ready  acceptance."  Sept. :  "  The  houses  of  trans 
gressors  need  purification ;  but  the  houses  of  the  righteous 
are  acceptable." 

Such  are  some  of  the  specimens  under  the  present  cate 
gory.  Very  many  of  those  referred  to  in  the  Note,  are 
equal  to,  and  some  surpass,  the  specimens  produced.  But 
beside  all  that  I  have  marked,  and  which  are  submitted  to 
the  reader  in  the  Note  below,1  there  are  smaller  departures 
from  the  Hebrew  quite  beyond  enumeration.  No  one  who 
reads  the  Hebrew  text  intelligently,  can  fail  of  meeting 
them  in  every  paragraph ;  I  had  almost  said  in  every  verse. 
One  of  two  things  is  true;  either  the  translator  had  no 
adequate  knowledge  of  the  Hebrew,  and  paraphrased  in 
this  way  because  he  did  not  know  his  original  well  enough 
to  render  it  more  exactly;  or  he  took  unbounded  and 
unwarrantable  liberties  with  his  text,  and  designed  merely 
to  fix  up  what  he  thought  would  be  a  readable  book,  in 
well-chosen  Greek  diction.  In  either  case,  he  has  very 
unfaithfully  and  inadequately  performed  his  task.  If  the 
reader  will  spend  one  tenth  part  of  the  time  in  following 
and  comparing  the  texts  referred  to  in  the  Note,  which  it 


1  See  and  compare  1:  19.  2 :  18.  4:15,  25.  5:19.  6:14.  7 :  7,  10,  22. 
8:2,27.  9:1,3.  10:5,10,12,24,26.  11:7,9,14,24,25,26,30,31. 
12  :  2,  28.  13  :  4,  15,  23.  14  :  7,  15,  23,  24,  32,  35.  15  :  1,  4,  15,  22,  23. 
16:21,  30,  33.  17:  1,  4,  7,  8,  9,  10,  11,  12,  14,  23.  18:  1,8,  11,  14,  19. 
19:  6,  13,  18.  20:  1,4.  21:  8,  10,14.  22:  11,  19,  26.  23:  2,7,  15,20,21, 
27,  28,  29.  24  :  5.  9.  10,  11,  15,  30,  31.  25 :  4,  9,  19,  20,  23,  27.  26 :  6, 
10,  11,  18,  23,  24.  27  :  9,  13,  19,  22.  28  :  2,  10,  26.  29 :  9.  30  :  1,  3,  15, 
31,  32.  31  :  1,  2,  3,  4.  21,  26.  29.  Amount  hf>ro  -  110  verso*. 


§  14.   ANCIENT  VERSIONS  :   SEPTUAGIXT.  71 

has  cost  me  to  collect  them,  he  will,  by  his  own  efforts,  have 
the  whole  matter  before  him,  and  have  it  in  such  a  way  as 
descanting  on  the  Sept.  cannot  give  it  to  him.  The  amount 
of  departures  is  indeed  very  great,  and  beyond  all  reason 
able  measure. 

(4)  DIFFERENT  READING  of  the  Vowels,  or  mistaking 
similar  letters.  In  3 :  4,  the  Heb.  words  ato  bab,  good  discre 
tion,  the  Sept.  has  rendered  TTQOVOOV  xald,  consider  things 
good,  reading  the  wordbrsb  as  a  verb  in  Piel,  viz.  bsb.  In 
4:  21,  the  Heb.  rp^-a ,  from  thine  eyes,  the  Sept.  translates 
eel  Tiifl'ai  GOV,  thy  fountains,  having  read  the  Heb.  as  TpS^SE , 
which  means  fountains.  In  11:  3,  we  have  a"1"!'^?  Msn,  the 
integrity  of  the  upright;  in  the  Sept.,  we  find  'aTro&avcov 
dtxatoe,  i.  e.  they  read  the  first  word  as  n^fi .  Even  then 
the  gender  is  anomalous.  In  23 :  28,  the  Heb.  has  vpoi'fi , 
she  shall  add,  from  CjDJ ;  but  the  Sept.  derived  the  verb  from 
CiGX ,  to  take  away,  and  have  rendered  it  'avahoj&ijGETai, 
shall  be  destroyed.  In  19  :  6,  r^in  means  the  friend;  but  the 
Sept.  has  xcc/.o^,  reading  it  rnn  from  r*n ,  to  do  evil.  In 
19  :  23,  we  have  "~*  evil ;  Sept.  read  r^  knowledge,  from  S1^  . 
In  20:  4,  Heb.  C|~irra ,  during  autumn  ;  in  the  Sept.,  'oveidi^o- 
fjievotg',  reading  the  word  Sftrra ,  Part,  of  the  Piel  of  j^nn ,  to 
reproach.  And  so  of  the  rest.1 

Such  are  the  leading  classes  of  additions,  omissions, 
strange  translations,  and  changes  of  proper  vowels  for 
wrong  ones.  Besides  all  this,  there  occurs  not  a  little  con 
fusion  in  the  order  of  verses,  and  the  ending  of  chapters  ; 
e.  g.  see  in  lo:  29  and  16:  1,  seq.  See  also  18:  22,  seq., 
where  four  verses  are  omitted,  and  chap.  xix.  begins  with 
v.  4.  After  20 :  9,  seq.,  occur  next  vs.  20 — 22 ;  then 
the  regular  order  up  to  v.  13 ;  after  which  vs.  14 — 19  are 


1  See  also  7  :  18.  8 :  1.  1  :  21.  2:7.  11:8,  18,  19,  28.  12  :  23.  13  :  17, 
19.  15:14,15.  16:10.  17:3,9.  13:9.  20:4,6.  21:6.  22:11,18. 
23:  3,  4.  24:  7.  25:  2.  26:  10,  13.  28:  12.  15,  28.  29:  5,  14,  16.  Sum 
r  -  34  ofi«os. 


72  §  14.  ANCIENT  VERSIONS  :   SEPTUAGINT. 

wholly  omitted.  After  24 :  22,  follows  an  interpolation  of 
some  four  entire  verses,  having  nothing  correspondent  to  it 
in  the  Hebrew,  and  being  followed  by  chap.  30:1 — 14. 
Then  comes  24:  23—34  ;  and  after  this,  30  :  15—33.  This 
too  is  followed  by  chap.  31 :  1 — 9  ;  and  then  the  regular 
order  is  resumed  with  25 :  1,  seq.  Once  more ;  after  the 
end  of  chap  xxix.,  the  rest  of  chap,  xxxi.,  viz.  vs.  10 — 31,  is 
subjoined,  and  comes  in,  as  in  the  Hebrew  Bible,  at  the  close 
of  the  book.  Such  is  the  oft-repeated  VGTEQQV  KQOTSQOV  of 
the  book  before  us,  brought  about  by  the  carelessness  of  the 
translator,  or  of  some  copyist,  or  else  by  the  ill  arrangement 
of  his  Hebrew  codex. 

I  find  nothing,  however,  in  all  these  changes  and  addi 
tions  made  by  the  Sept.  version,  which  properly  ranks 
under  the  Jewish  tti'Vra,  i.  e.  allegorical,  spiritualizing, 
double-sense  commentary.  The  passage  in  6 :  8,  (produced 
above,  p.  67),  respecting  the  bee,  comes  the  nearest  to  a 
tti'VTO  of  anything  in  the  book.  This  interpolation  does  in 
fact  approach  somewhat  near  to  the  m»n ,  which  means 
story,  narration,  anecdote,  and  the  like,  added  to  the  text, 
in  order  to  give  pleasure  to  the  reader. 

We  meet  with  nothing  which  betrays,  with  certainty,  the 
where  and  when  of  the  translator.  It  would  seem,  however, 
from  his  conceded  classical  knowledge  and  style,  that  he 
was  a  native  Greek,  imperfectly  acquainted  with  Hebrew. 
It  would  not  be  easy  for  a  Jew  to  free  himself  from  that 
kind  of  reverence  for  the  Scriptures,  which  would  restrain 
him  from  tampering  with  them  as  much  as  our  translator 
does,  unless  the  MidrasJi  or  the  Haggadoth  were  designedly 
in  view.  Even  these  were  not  designed  to  change  the  text 
itself,  but  only  to  amuse  and  attract  the  reader.  But 
throughout  the  Septuagint  version  reigns  a  spirit,  which  is 
entirely  different  from  that  which  appears  in  the  Targum 
of  Job  or  Psalms.  There,  we  have  plenty  both  of  the 
Mid  rash  and  Haggadoth.  In  fact,  the  levity  (I  had  almost 


§  14.  ANCIENT  VERSIONS  :  SEPTUAGINT.  73 

said)  with  which  the  book  is  treated,  in  the  Septuagint 
version,  indicates  strongly  that  the  author  was  a  man 
embarrassed  by  none  of  the  usual  Jewish  prejudices,  in 
regard  to  the  exterior  of  the  Scriptures.  Whoever  he  was, 
we  are  under  no  great  obligations  to  him  for  a  translation 
so  interpolated,  so  full  of  omissions,  so  often  abandoning  the 
proper  meaning  of  Hebrew  words,  and  so  frequently  built 
on  incorrect  readings  of  the  vowels  and  consonants.  All 
these  are  high  and  substantial  charges  against  it.  But 
they  are  not  made  out,  by  any  theory  or  desire  of  mine. 
They  are  forced  upon  our  notice,  by  a  careful  attention  to 
all  the  minutiae  of  the  Septuagint ;  and  they  lie  before  the 
reader,  not  in  the  form  of  an  exparte  decision,  made  without 
a  hearing  of  the  party  concerned,  but  in  the  form  of  direct 
and  unequivocal  testimony  which  cannot  be  called  in  ques 
tion.  The  condemning  evidence  is  stamped  on  the  very 
face  of  the  whole  book. 

Looking  now  deliberately  on  this  mass  of  facts,  is  it  not 
to  be  regarded  as  a  stain  upon  the  escutcheon  of  sacred 
criticism,  that  the  Septuagint  version  before  us  has  been  so 
long  and  so  much  extolled  ?  Long  ago  began  the  practice 
of  praising  it.  Once  commenced,  it  has  become  a  kind  of 
traditionary  inheritance  among  critics.  See,  for  example, 
at  the  beginning  of  this  section,  what  Eichhorn  has  said 
respecting  it.  The  like  had  been  done  before,  and  has  since 
been  often  repeated.  With  how  much  reason,  has  been 
amply  shown  above.  Even  Havernick  and  Bertheau  seem 
to  have  taken  mainly  upon  trust  what  they  say  of  this 
version ;  although  the  latter  has  made  some  critical  dis 
criminations  as  to  the  characteristics  of  the  Sept.  But 
such  indiscriminate  eulogy  as  we  find  in  most  cases,  leads 
one  to  see  how  many  of  such  things  are  said  merely  upon 
trust,  and  without  any  rigid  examination.  The  Septuagint 
is  opened,  perhaps,  at  a  venture,  and  the  critic  lights,  it 
may  be,  on  this  passage  and  that,  which  are  translated  into 


71  §  14.  ANCIENT  VERSIONS  :  SEPTUAGINT. 

good  Greek,  and  rendered  in  a  spirited  manner.  Now  and 
then,  too,  a  lucky  hit  occurs.  All  this  can  be  found,  I  well 
know,  here  and  there  in  the  version.  But  it  is  very  unequal. 
AVere  it  not  for  the  diction,  one  might  almost  be  led,  in 
some  cases,  to  suspect  different  translators.  But  as  the 
diction  forbids  this,  we  can  account  for  these  inequalities 
only  by  recurring  to  an  ancient  criticism  on  Homer,  one 
made  by  a  master  in  this  art :  "  Aliquando  bonus  dormitat 
Homerus."  But  our  translator  not  only  nods,  but  dreams, 
at  times,  and  exhibits  not  a  little  of  the  perplexity  and 
intricacies  and  claro-obscure  of  a  dreamy  state.  It  is  high 
time  that  the  indiscriminate  eulogy  of  his  performance  were 
laid  aside  by  critics,  who  examine,  or  ought  to  examine,  for 
themselves. 

All  this  serves  to  show,  beyond  any  ground  of  reasonable 
doubt,  that  the  Septuagint,  as  a  whole,  never  came  from  one 
man,  nor  from  the  same  body  of  men.  There  is  such  a 
wide  diversity  in  the  style  of  different  books  ;  such  manifest 
tokens  of  different  degrees  of  knowledge  as  to  the  Hebrew 
original,  and  with  all  (as  in  the  present  case)  such  a  wide 
difference  in  the  sense  of  obligation  to  keep  close  to  the 
text,  that  it  is  really  beyond  all  critical  possibility  to 
vindicate  a  oneness  of  authorship  to  the  whole  version. 

Those  who  are  prone,  as  many  still  seem  to  be,  to  set  up 
the  version  of  which  we  are  treating,  as  a  corrector  of  the 
Hebrew  Scriptures,  should  look  well  before  they  leap. 
Those  who  make  desperate  endeavors  to  force  upon  us 
the  Septuagint  chronology,  ante-diluvian  and  post-diluvian, 
would  do  well  to  read  J.  D.  Michaelis  on  this  subject,  in  • 
his  Syntagma  Dissertationum.  Nothing  is  plainer,  than 
that  the  object  of  the  Septuagint  chronology  is,  to  make 
out  the  supposed  requisite  period  of  five  thousand  years, 
before  the  birth  of  the  Messiah.  Hence,  by  various  strata 
gems,  six  hundred  out  of  the  needed  one  thousand  years, 
are  made  out  before  the  flood ;  and  the  complement,  after  it 


§  14.  ANCIENT  VERSIONS  :  PESHITO.  75 

Thus  in  the  Heb.  of  Gen.  11:  10 — 13,  we  have  the  gene 
alogy  of  Shem,  the  son  of  Noah,  in  this  order :  "  Shem, 
Arphaxad,  Salah,  Eber,"  etc. ;  in  the  corresponding  Sept., 
we  have  "  Shem,  Arphaxad,  Cainan,  Salah,  Eber,"  etc. 
Unluckily  for  this  apparent  piece  of  pious  fraud,  we  find  in 
the  Sept.  itself,  in  1  Chron.  1:17,  18,  the  exact  Hebrew 
order,  viz.,  "  Shem,  Arphaxad,  Salah,  Eber,"  etc.,  and  no 
Cainan.  The  man  who  played  this  trick  with  the  Septua- 
gint,  should  have  kept  a  better  look-out  for  the  genealogy  in 
Chronicles,  and  have  adapted  this  as  well  as  the  other  list 
of  names  to  his  design.  It  is  well,  however,  that  imposture 
is  not  always  on  its  guard.  But  as  for  those  critics  who 
would  fain  bring  us  to  the  Septuagint  chronology,  and  thus 
exalt  the  Septuagint  above  the  Hebrew,  and  at  its  expense, 
I  would  beg  leave  to  commend  to  them  1  Chron.  1:  17,  18, 
compared  with  Gen.  11:  10 — 13,  and  also  the  Septuagint 
version  of  the  book  of  Proverbs,  as  exhibited  above. 


II.   THE  PESHITO  OR  OLD  SYRIAC  VERSION. 

When  or  where  the  name  Peshito  was  first  given,  ia 
uncertain.  But  as  this  word  probably  means  THE  SIMPLE; 
there  seems  to  be  little  room  for  doubt,  that  the  name  was 
designed,  whenever  given,  to  distinguish  it  from  the  kind  of 
metaphrastic  versions,  such  as  exist  in  the  Targums ;  where 
not  only  the  sense  of  the  text  is  often  given  loosely,  but  the 
version  is  interlarded  with  Midrash  and  Haygadoth.  In  oppo 
sition  to  this  stands  the  Syriac  version,  justly  named  Simple, 
inasmuch  as  it  is  the  most  literal  and  simple  of  all  the 
ancient  versions.  The  man  or  men  who  made  it  were  un 
doubtedly  persons  whose  vernacular  was  Syriac,  but  who 
studied  the  Hebrew  so  as  to  attain  an  intimate  familiarity 
with  it.  The  transition  is  easy  from  one  language  to  the 
other.  Our  missionaries  among  the  Arabians  and  Syrians 
find,  that  it  takes  but  as  it  were  a  few  days  for  an  intelligent 


76  §  14.  ANCIENT  VERSIONS  :  PESHITO. 

Arabian  or  Syrian  to  learn  to  read  fluently  and  understand 
the  Hebrew.  This  might  have  been  done,  or  rather,  must 
have  been  clone,  by  the  Syriac  translator  of  the  Old  Testa 
ment,  and  certainly  by  the  translator  of  the  book  of  Proverbs. 
Otherwise  the  translation  could  not  have  been  so  literal  and 
exact  as  it  is. 

In  the  region  called  anciently  Adiabene,  which  lay  in  east 
ern  Syria,  (or  more  anciently  in  western  Assyria),  between 
the  Euphrates  and  the  Tigris,  and  north  of  Mesopotamia, 
were  located  the  ten  tribes,  who  were  carried  away  captive 
by  Shalmaneser  the  king  of  Assyria,  2  K.  17  :  23.  Jose- 
phus  (Antiq.  V.  2)  says,  that  at  the  time  of  the  return  of 
the  Jews  from  the  Babylonish  exile,  only  two  tribes  returned ; 
but  that  "the  ten  tribes,  consisting  of  immense  myriads 
(fivQiddss  uTreiQOi)  of  Jews  beyond  the  Euphrates,"  did  not 
return,  because  they  liked  their  long-wonted  habitations  too 
well  to  quit  them.  King  Agrippa,  just  before  the  Roman- 
Jewish  war,  in  exhorting  the  Jews  to  submission,  advises 
them  "  to  place  no  confidence  in  the  aid  of  their  fellow  tribes 
(opoyvlovg)  of  Adiabene ;"  Bell.  Jud.  II.  c.  16,  p.  808,  edit. 
Col.  There  can  be  no  question,  that  a  vast  number  of  Jews 
were  at  that  time  scattered  over  that  country,  then  subjected 
to  the  Parthians.  The  same  Josephus  tells  us,  that  Izates, 
king  of  Adiabene,  sent  (of  course  before  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem)  "Jive  sons,  who  were  young,  to  learn  the  language 
vernacular  with  the  Jews,  and  to  obtain  accurate  instruction" 
Antiq.  XX.  c.  2,  p.  687.  This  king  was  himself  a  zealous 
convert  to  Judaism,  as  was  also  his  mother,  Helena,  who 
visited  Jerusalem.  When  the  Jewish  priest  Eleazar  visited 
Izates,  he  found  him  reading  the  Pentateuch  ;  ut  sup.  p.  685. 
The  reign  of  this  king  was  probably  A.  D.  40 — 60.  It  must 
then  have  been  a  Septuagint  or  Greek  copy  of  the  Old 
Testament ;  for  probably  no  version  had  yet  been  made  into 
the  Syriac.  Is  there  not  then  the  highest  probability,  that 
this  king,  whose  zeal  for  Judaism  had  induced  him  to  send 


§  14.  ANCIENT  VERSIONS  :  PESHITO.  77 

five  sons  to  learn  the  Hebrew  language  and  religion,  did  on 
their  return,  direct  them  to  translate  the  Hebrew  Scriptures 
into  the  Syriac  language  ?  A  brother  of  Izates,  viz.  Mono- 
bazus,  seems  also  to  have  been  a  zealous  convert  to  the  He 
brew  religion  ;  for  the  Talmud  (Tract.  Yoma,  c.  3.  10) 
relates,  that  this  individual,  the  son  of  Helena,  consecrated 
golden  vessels  to  the  temple  at  Jerusalem.  Some  time,  then, 
during  the  latter  half  of  the  first  century,  it  is  probable  that  the 
Old  Testament  Peshito  was  made.  It.  is  enough  to  render 
this  probable,  that  Helena,  the  queen-mother  of  Adiabene, 
and  Izates  her  successor,  and  his  brother  Monobazus,  were 
zealous  Judaizers ;  and  Izates,  moreover,  had  five  sons, 
thoroughly  instructed  in  Hebrew,  by  the  master  Rabbies  in 
Jerusalem  ;  (see  a  copious  history  of  these  personages  in  Jos. 
Antiq.  XX.  2).  It  seems  quite  probable,  at  all  events,  that 
the  O.  Test.  Peshito  was  made  first,  before  the  N.  Test.  Ver 
sion,  and  separately  from  it.  One  reason  for  this  is,  the 
strong  probability  that  Izates  would  promote  such  an  object, 
since  he  could  easily  accomplish  it  by  the  aid  of  his  sons. 
Then  again,  the  N.  Test.  Syriac,  when  it  cites  passages  from 
the  O.  Test.,  cites  them  not  from  the  O.  Test.  Peshito,  but 
makes  a  new  version  of  its  own.  This  shows  that  the  N. 
Test.  Syriac  translator  was  a  person  different  from  the  trans 
lator  of  the  Old  Testament ;  for  the  same  person,  making 
the  entire  version  of  both  Testaments,  would  very  naturally, 
in  translating  the  N.  Test.,  quote  his  O.  Test.  Version,  where 
the  O.  Test,  is  cited  ;  or  if  he  first  translated  the  N.  Test., 
then  he  would  have  conformed  passages  of  the  0.  Test.,  cited 
in  the  New,  to  the  version  which  he  had  already  made. 
Once  more,  the  tradition  among  the  Syrians  themselves 
assigns  both  translations  to  the  same  period,  but  not  to  the 
same  persons ;  see  the  excellent  and  recent  Latin  Essay  on 
the  Syriac  Versions,  by  J.  Wichelhaus,  Halle,  1850,  p.  119. 
Of  the  N.  Test.  Peshito,  it  would  be  irrelevant  to  say 
much  here.  Suffice  it  to  remark,  that  Adiabene  was  early 


78  §  14.  ANCIENT  VERSIONS  :  PESHITO. 

filled  with  Christians,  even  before  the  end  of  the  first  cen 
tury.  In  Acts  2 :  7,  seq.  we  read  of  men  who  were  "  Par- 
thians,  Medes,  Elamites,  and  the  dwellers  in  Mesopotamia" 
as  being  present  to  hear  the  sermon  of  Peter,  on  the  day  of 
Pentecost,  and  that  three  thousand  of  his  audience  were  con 
verted  on  that  day.  Must  not  some  of  these  have  been 
persons  from  Adiabene,  who  would  of  course  carry  back  to 
their  respective  places  the  gospel  of  Christ  ?  The  Syrians 
have  an  ancient  and  apparently  uniform  tradition,  that  the 
N.  Test.  Peshito  was  made  by  the  disciples  of  an  apostle,  or 
at  least  of  one  of  the  Seventy  disciples,  who  first  preached 
the  gospel  in  East  Syria.  In  all  probability,  then,  this  ver 
sion  was  made  near  the  close  of  Cent.  I.,  or  near  the  begin 
ning  of  Cent.  II.  This  shows  a  good  reason,  why  some  of 
the  later  books,  viz.  2  Peter,  2  and  3  John,  Jude,  and  the 
Apocalypse,  are  omitted  in  the  N.  Test.  Peshito.  They 
had  not  yet  come,  at  so  early  a  period,  into  circulation  among 
the  inhabitants  of  that  distant  region.  But  I  can  merely 
refer  the  reader  to  Wichelhaus,  as  cited  above,  where  he 
will  meet  with  more  than  he  can  elsewhere  find,  in  regard 
to  this  deeply  interesting  version. 

But  to  return :  If  we  consider  it  quite  probable  that  the 
five  sons  of  Izates,  who  were  taught  at  Jerusalem,  made  the 
Peshito  version  of  the  Old  Testament,  then  we  have  in  it  a 
good  mirror  to  reflect  the  forms  of  Hebrew  criticism  and 
exegesis,  at  that  period,  at  least  among  a  part  of  the  Jewish 
literati.  And  certainly,  when  viewed  in  this  light,  we  must 
feel  disposed  to  give  them  much  credit.  Of  all  the  ancient 
versions  of  the  Old  Testament,  the  Peshito  is  the  truest  and 
the  best.  It  shows  great  skill  in  transferring  the  Hebrew- 
idiom  into  the  Syriac ;  although  this  was  not  a  difficult  task 
for  a  man  skilled  in  both  languages.  Of  course  there  would 
be  some  words  in  the  Hebrew,  which  antiquity  had  rendered 
obscure,  and  the  meaning  of  which  the  translator  into  Syriac 
has  sometimes  missed.  But  on  the  other  hand,  he  has 


§  14.  ANCIENT  VERSIONS  :    PESHITO.  79 

poured  light  on  many  an  obscure  word  or  phrase ;  which  is 
of  serious  importance  to  the  interpreter  of  the  Hebrew 
Scriptures. 

It  has  been  objected  to  the  position  that  the  Old  Testa 
ment  Peshito  was  made  directly  from  the  Hebrew,  that  in 
some  places  it  conforms  to  the  Sept.  The  fact  is  in  some 
few  cases  apparently  so ;  but  it  is  easy,  since  the  passages 
are  so  few,  to  ascribe  them  to  changes  afterwards  made  in 
the  copies  of  the  Peshito,  out  of  a  superstitious  regard  to  the 
Sept.,  which  was  supposed  to  be  of  divine  origin.  Besides, 
in  some  cases,  the  Sept.  translator,  and  the  Syriac  one,  may 
both  have  drawn  from  the  same  exegetical  sources  among 
the  Jews. 

So  far  as  our  present  object  is  concerned,  I  can  say,  from 
actual  comparison,  that  the  Syriac  is  as  remote  from  the 
Sept.,  as  this  is  from  a  true  representation  of  the  Hebrew. 
No  connection  between  the  two  translations  is  discernible, 
beyond  very  narrow  limits.  That  the  Peshito  translator, 
however,  was  conversant  with  the  Sept.,  can  hardly  be 
doubted.  That  he  has  followed  its  irregularities,  its  incor 
rectnesses,  its  additions,  and  its  omissions,  to  any  extent  even 
worth  naming,  is  certainly  not  true.  ' 

The  Peshito  of  Proverbs  is  indeed  a  model  as  to  manner. 
Where  it  becomes  exegetical,  it  uses  the  fewest  words  possi 
ble.  It  indulges  in  no  paraphrases.  It  exhibits  no  Midra- 
shim  or  Haggadoth.  Some  things  (small  ones)  have  probably 
crept  into  it  from  marginal  notes ;  such  as  might  be  taken 
from  the  Syriac  commentary  of  Ephrem  Syrus.  Most  of 
the  departures  from  the  Hebrew  are  confined  to  the  book  of 
Psalms ;  and  these  may  be  accounted  for  from  the  fact,  that 
the  Psalms  were  a  liturgic  book. 

It  is  strong  proof  against  the  authenticity  of  the  Apocry 
phal  books,  that  no  one  of  them  ever  belonged  to  this  ancient 
version.  Ephrem  Syrus,  indeed,  cites  them;  but  not  as 
books  canonical  or  authoritative. 


80  §  14.  ANCIENT  VERSIONS  :   PESHITO. 

In  a  few  cases,  we  find  additions  made  to  the  Hebrew  ; 
and  who  the  person  was  that  made  them,  is  a  point  difficult 
to  be  settled.  What  I  mean  is,  that  these  additions  are  so 
small,  compared  with  the  mass  of  the  book,  that  it  is  more 
easy  to  suppose  them  to  have  come  in  from  the  margin,  in 
process  of  time,  than  to  account  for  them  by  supposing  the 
translator  himself  to  have  made  them,  and  in  a  manner  so 
contrary  to  the  general  tenor  of  the  version.  This,  how 
ever,  Bertheau  accounts  for,  by  supposing  that  the  Hebrew 
text,  from  which  the  translator  made  his  version,  differed 
from  our  present  Masoretic  text.  He  appeals  to  the  fact, 
that  several  clauses,  or  even  whole  verses,  are  found  here 
and  there,  which  are  added  to  our  present  text.  The  fact 
itself  of  addition  cannot  well  be  denied.  Thus  in  4 :  4,  there 
is  added,  at  the  close :  "  And  my  law,  as  the  pupil  of  thine 
eyes."  In  the  midst  of  11 :  16  are  inserted  two  dames.  In 
13 :  13,  the  same ;  also  in  14:  22  and  14 :  23,  in  the  middle 
of  the  verse.  In  22  :  21,  there  are  some  two  words  added. 
There  may  be  a  few  other  cases  of  this  latter  kind ;  but  not 
enough  to  make  out  an  amount  worth  reckoning.  In  some 
of  these  cases,  it  would  seem  to  be  not  improbable,  that  the 
Hebrew  text  has  suffered  somewhat  by  the  omission  of  one 
or  more  clauses ;  for  the  matter  supplied  in  the  Syriac  seems 
to  be  quite  congruous.  But  in  others  I  should  -be  inclined 
to  believe,  that  they  came  in  the  way  of  having  originally 
been  marginal  annotations.  We  surely  can  make  but  very 
little  of  so  few  additions  as  are  here,  if  we  compare  them 
for  a  moment  with  those  of  the  Septuagint. 

Bertheau  further  remarks,  that  considerable  departures 
from  the  Hebrew  are  to  be  found  in  the  Peshito.  He 
refers  us  to  7  :  22,  23.  15 :  4,  15.  19  :  20.  21 :  16.  22  :  24. 
But  most  of  these  departures  are  so  small,  and  of  so  little 
importance  as  to  the  sense,  that  they  are  scarcely  worth  our 
special  notice.  Some  of  them  are  evidently  nothing  more 
than  a  different  manner  of  translating  several  Hebrew  words. 


§  14.  ANCIENT  VERSIONS  :  TARGUM.  81 

The  result  of  all  this  is,  that  the  general  character  of  the 
Peshito  for  fidelity,  is  by  no  means  impeachable.  The  addi 
tion  of  some  five  verses  in  the  whole  book,  would  hardly 
serve  as  a  good  basis  for  an  impeachment ;  and  most  of  the 
alleged  discrepancies  hardly  deserve  our  notice,  except  for 
some  special  purposes  of  criticism. 

Thus  much  for  this  noble  old  version,  which  gives  us  a 
portion  of  the  separate  history  of  the  Hebrew  text ;  for  this 
image  of  it,  I  mean  the  Peshito,  has  come  down  from  the 
first  century  of  our  Christian  era,  through  hands  different 
from  those  of  the  Hebrews.  It  is  doubly  important  to  us,  in 
consequence  of  its  being  a  version  of  the  Hebrew  so  close 
and  literal.  Of  course,  it  casts  light  on  many  difficult 
Hebrew  words,  although  not  upon  all ;  and  it  shows  us,  at 
all  events,  what  ideas  were  attached  to  such  Hebrew  words 
by  those  who  spoke  one  of  the  Semitic  dialects.  The  reader 
of  it  will  much  advance  and  expand  his  knowledge  of  the 
Semitic  languages,  by  a  diligent  and  faithful  study  of  it. 
Walton's  Polyglot  is  the  most  convenient  apparatus  for  the 
Syriac  text,  as  it  has  the  vowel-points.  The  comparative 
study  of  the  sacred  books  in  different  languages,  is  greatly 
facilitated  by  this  immortal  work.  Whoever  reads  the 
Peshito  version  of  the  Proverbs  carefully,  will  be  ready  to 
bear  witness  to  the  directness,  and  plainness,  and  faithful 
ness  of  it.  Never  can  he  doubt  that  it  is  well  worth  special 
attention. 

III.    THE  CHALDEE  TARGUM. 

That  the  Chaldee  Targum,  i.  e.  translation  of  the  Old 
Testament  Hebrew  into  the  later  Chaldee,  arose  from  differ 
ent  authors,  is  agreed  on  all  hands.  Of  the  Pentateuch, 
Onkelos  was  the  translator ;  and  he  rendered  it  into  quite 
pure  Chaldee.  His  version  is  generally  close,  faithful,  and 
for  the  most  part  as  it  were  verbum  verbo.  In  the  small 
poetic  portions  of  the  Pentateuch,  however,  interpolations 


82  §  14.  ANCIENT  VERSIONS  :  TARGUM. 

have  been  made,  which  disclose  themselves,  and  show  that 
they  came  not  from  the  hand  of  Onkelos.  The  work,  as 
a  whole,  is  the  most  perfect  specimen  of  the  later  pure 
Chaldee  which  we  have. 

Of  the  prophets,  both  former  and  latter  in  the  Hebrew 
sense,  Jonathan  ben  Uzziel  is  supposed  to  have  written  a 
Targum.  The  former  prophets,  i.  e.  most  of  the  historical 
books,  are  more  literally  translated  than  the  second,  pro 
phetic,  poetic  part.  In  general,  his  version  is  less  true  and 
literal  than  that  of  Onkelos.  He  indulges  himself  at  times 
in  the  introduction  of  Midras/t,  and  even  some  brief  Hagga- 
doth.  But  he  is  well  worth  consulting  in  very  many  cases, 
where  obscure  and  difficult  Hebrew  words  occur. 

The  Jews  generally  assign  the  Hagiographal  Targum  to 
Joseph  the  Blind,  a  somewhat  uncertain,  if  not  a  mythic  per 
sonage.  Nothing  is  more  evident  than  that  the  Targums 
of  this  portion  of  Scripture  came  from  different  hands,  at 
different  times.  Such  is  the  diversity  of  style,  manner,  and 
even  language,  of  the  Targums,  in  different  books,  that  any 
other  supposition  is  altogether  improbable.  Compare,  for 
example,  the  Targum  on  the  Proverbs  and  on  Canticles. 

Among  the  Hagiographal  Targums,  those  of  Psalms,  Job, 
and  Proverbs,  are  distinguished  for  their  qualities.  These 
books  constitute  the  only  ones  which  are  acknowledged  by 
the  Rabbins  of  older  times  to  be  poetical.  The  symbolic 
name  of  these,  among  the  Jews,  is  the  word  nax ,  which 
means  truth.  The  letter  it  stands  for  ai^x ,  Job ;  a  stands 
for  B^Vaa,  Proverbs;  and  n  for  e^nn ,  Psalms.  Because 
these  three  books  constituted  the  corpus  of  Hebrew  poets, 
(if  we  accede  to  the  Masorites),  and  because  they  are  better 
translated  than  the  rest  of  the  Hagiography,  a  confident 
opinion  has  arisen,  and  has  often  been  expressed,  that  they 
came  ironi  one  and  the  same  hand ;  and  not  only  so,  but 
that  they  were  executed  as  near  to  each  other  in  point  of 
time,  as  the  nature  of  the  case  would  permit.  We  must 


§  14.  ANCIENT  VERSIONS  :  TARSUS,  83 

examine  this  matter  a  little,  because  the  character  of  the 
Targum  on  the  Proverbs  is  deeply  concerned  with  it. 

Le  Long,  in  his  Biblioth.  Sac.  (I.  p.  91),  is  the  first  in 
whom  I  find  the  Targum  on  rrax  ascribed  to  one  and  the 
same  person.  Havernick  (Einl.  §  82)  says,  that  "The 
Targum  on  Proverbs  stands  so  related  to  that  on  Job  and 
Psalms,  as  to  the  manner  of  expression  and  comprehension, 
that  all  are  rightly  regarded  as  belonging  to  one  and  the 
same  person."  Zunz,  a  distinguished  critical  Rabbi  of  the 
present  day,  in  his  Gottesdienstliche  Vortrdge  (p.  64),  declares, 
that  "  the  Targum  on  the  Proverbs  has  the  same  linguistic 
character  as  that  on  the  Psalms  and  Job."  Bertheau  con 
cedes  this,  and  says  that  we  may  deduce  from  it  the  conclu 
sion,  that  all  these  Targums  took  their  rise  about  the  same 
time  and  in  the  same  region,  (Einl.  in  Comm.  iiber  Prover- 
bien,  §  6).  He  next  puts  the  Targum  on  Proverbs  down 
very  low,  in  point  of  time,  because  he  finds  the  name  Con 
stantinople  in  the  Targum  on  the  Psalms,  and  the  word 
•£a:x  (=  ciyy&oi)  in  the  book  of  Job.  If  the  assumption  be 
true,  then  the  reasoning  is  well ;  for  surely  it  must  be  a 
late  Targum,  which  could  originally  employ  such  words. 
Still,  it  is  easy  to  suppose  them  to  have  once  been  mere 
glosses  on  the  margin,  which  afterwards  crept  into  the  text 
since  that  text  has  been  in  circulation.  Such  words  do 
indeed  look  very  much  like  glosses  explanatory. 

With  all  the  deference  due  to  such  authorities,  I  must  beg 
the  liberty  of  dissenting  from  this  judgment.  I  am  bound  to 
state  my  reasons  ;  and  I  shall  now  proceed  to  do  it. 

(1)  There  are  several  characteristics  of  usage  as  to  the 
forms  of  words,  which  widely  distinguish  the  Targ.  on  Prov., 
from  those  on  Job  and  the  Psalms,  (a)  In  Prov.  we  find 
everywhere  the  letter  3  used  as  the  formative  prefix  to  third 
pers.  masc.,  sing,  and  plural,  instead  of  the  usual  *.  Exam 
ples  are  not  needed,  except  merely  to  illustrate  the  nature 
of  the  case ;  e.  g.  16 :  10,  sing.  bi3fl3 «  bisrn ;  so  third  plur. 


84  §  14.  ANCIENT  TERSIONS  :  TAKGUM. 


»  "|SiB!iD7  ,  in  Prov.  2  :  22.  Hundreds  of  cases  occur 
of  the  same  nature.  So  far  as  I  have  made  out  an  estimate, 
at  least  one  half  of  the  Fut.  forms,  third  mase.  sing,  and  plur., 
are  made  out  in  this  way,  and  about  one  half  with  the  else 
where  usual  and  normal  i  formative.  This  is  surely  a  very 
striking  distinction,  and  one  which  shows  that  the  Targumist 
of  the  Prov.  was  familiar  with  the  Syriac  dialect,  so  familiar, 
that  the  cases  with  :  formative  of  the  third  pers.  Fut.  which 
are  there  normal,  were,  either  consciously  or  unconsciously, 
carried  over  into  his  Chaldee  version.  This  goes  to  show 
that  both  person  and  country,  in  this  case,  are  different  from 
those  in  the  other  case.  The  Targums  of  Psalms  and  Job, 
never  exhibit  this  peculiar  dialect  at  all. 

(b)  In  the  later  Targums  it  is  a  well-known  practice 
occasionally  to  clip  or  abridge  the  plural  formations  of  nouns, 
and  instead  of  *p—  to  write  and  read  i-  ,  thus  making  the 
absolute  and  construct  forms  of  a  noun  plur.  to  be  the  same. 
Now  in  the  Targ.  of  Prov.,  this  abridged  form  is  the  much 
more  usual  form  of  the  plur.  absolute,  so  that  the  regular 
forms  are  the  exception,  and  not  the  rule.  On  the  contrary, 
in  Job  and  Psalms  we  meet  indeed  with  the  abridged  nominal 
forms,  but  merely  as  the  exception,  and  not  as  the  rule.  The 
difference  in  this  usage  between  the  two  books  in  question 
and  the  Prov.  is  so  palpable,  that  it  cannot  escape  the  notice 
of  any  attentive  reader. 

>  (c)  There  is  a  striking  difference  between  the  Targums 
in  question,  in  respect  to  employing  the  word  Jehovah.  In 
the  original  Hebrew  of  Proverbs,  we  •  find  the  word  God 
(Dir6x)  only  six  times,  while  rrirn  is  employed  seventy-six 
times.  In  translating  rrirn  ,  however,  in  the  book  of  Prov 
erbs,  the  word  xrrax  is  nearly  always  employed  ;  and  very 
rarely  can  be  found  the  word  "^  ,  i.  e.  rrjrn  .  How  different 
in  Psalms  and  Proverbs,  where,  in  the  latter,  ^  is  the  rule, 
and  xr&K  the  exception!  This  is  another  charasteristic 
difference,  then,  which  is  very  striking.  Nowhere  in  Prov- 


§  14.  ANCIENT  VERSIONS  :  TAKGUM.  85 

erbs  is  ^"i  x^^a  employed  as  a  periphrasis  for  God  ;  while 
in  Job  and  Psalms  this  is  not  unfrequent. 

(2)  The  genius  and  style  of  the  Targum  on  the  Proverbs, 
is  altogether  different,  in  some  highly  important  respects, 
from  that  in  Job  and  Psalms.  The  former  is  preeminently 
literal  and  close,  and,  considering  the  nature  of  the  book,  not 
a  whit  behind  the  Targum  of  Onkelos.  It  stands  side  by 
side  with  the  Peshito,  and  is  very  little,  if  any,  inferior  to  it, 
so  far  as  this  book  is  concerned.  In  reading  many  chapters, 
I  have  scarcely  found  difference  enough  in  the  Targum  from 
the  Hebrew,  to  induce  me  to  take  a  single  note  of  it.  In 
some  very  few  cases,  like  those  in  the  Syriac,  there  is  a 
small  addition,  and  sometimes  the  same  which  is  made  in  the 
Syriac  ;  e.  g.  in  7  :  22,  23.  14:  14.  15:4.  But  on  the  other 
hand,  the  Syr.  and  Chald.  more  often  differ  from  each  other, 
where  either  of  them  disagrees  with  the  Hebrew,  than  they 
agree  with  each  other.  This  shows  that  the  Targum  is  not, 
as  Bertheau  and  others  suppose,  a  copy  of  the  Syriac.  Both 
offer  incontestable  evidence  of  having  been  made  from  the 
original  Hebrew.  There  is  not  in  all  the  ancient  versions,  any 
specimen  of  a  more  plain,  direct,  intelligible,  and  faithful  trans 
lation  than  this  Targum.  Bertheau  says,  however,  that  there 
are  many  departures  from  the  Hebrew  in  it ;  and  he  appeals 
to  7 :  22.  10:3.  14:14.  25 :  1,  20,  etc.  But  whoever  ex 
amines  these  passages,  will  find  the  departures  too  insignifi 
cant  to  make  much  impression  upon  him.  Put  all  of  them 
together,  they  will  not  amount  to  so  much  as  may  be  found 
in  a  single  chapter  of  the  Sept.  Instead  of  drawing  from 
them  an  argument  to  prove  that  the  Heb.  text  of  the  Tar- 
gumist  was  different  from  our  present  one,  we  can  deduce 
the  conclusion  with  confidence,  that  in  nearly  all  respects  it 
must  have  been  the  same  text  which  we  now  have.  So  lit 
erally  and  exactly  does  the  Targum  reproduce  it  in  another 
language. 

Let  us  now  turn  for  a  moment  to  the  Targum  of  Job  and 
8 


86  §  14.  ANCIENT  VERSIONS  :  TAKGUM. 

of  the  Psalms,  and  see  what  liberties  they  have  given  them 
selves,  in  regard  to  the  original  Hebrew. 

Heb.  Job  1:  3.  His  substance  also  was  seven  thousand 
sheep  ;  and  three  thousand  camels  ;  and  five  hundred  yoke 
of  oxen  ;  and  five  hundred  she-asses,  and  a  very  great  house 
hold. 

Chald.  His  substance  was  seven  thousand  sheep,  one  thousand  for 
each  of  his  sons ;  and  three  thousand  camels,  one  thousand  for  each  of  his 
daughters;  and  five  hundred  yoke  of  oxen.yor  himself;  and  five  hun 
dred  she-asses,  for  his  wife;  and  service-labor  exceedingly  much. 

Thus  much  at  the  outset ;  which,  however,  is  a  prelibation 
quite  congruous  with  the  sequel. 

1 :  6.  Now  there  was  a  day,  when  the  sons  of  God  came 
to  present  themselves  before  Jehovah,  and  Satan  came  also 
among  them. 

Chald.  And  it  came  to  pass,  on  the  day  of  judgment  at  the  beginning 
of  the  year,  that  there  came  troops  of  angels,  that  they  might  stand  in 
judgment  before  Jehovah,  and  Satan  also  came  in  the  midst  of  them. 

1 : 10.  Hast  thou  not  made  an  hedge  about  him  and  about 
his  house,  and  about  all  that  he  hath  on  every  side  ?  Thou 
hast  blessed  the  work  of  his  hands,  and  his  substance  is 
increased  in  the  land. 

Chald.  Hast  thou  not  by  thy  Word  protected  around  him  and  around 
the  men  of  his  house,  and  around  all  which  he  hath  round  about  him  ? 
And  the  works  of  his  hands  hast  thou  blest,  and  his  possessions  are 
mightily  increased  in  the  earth. 

3 :  5.  Let  darkness  and  death-shade  pollute  it ;  let  a 
cloud  dwell  upon  it;  let  the  utmost  bitternesses  of  the 
day  terrify  it. 

Chald.  Let  darkness  defile  it,  and  the  shadows  of  death ;  let  a 
cloud  dwell  upon  it ;  let  as  it  were  the  bitternesses  of  the  day  terrify 
it,  —  even  the  grief  which  distressed  Jeremiah,  when  the  house  of  the 
sanctuary  was  destroyed,  and  Jonah,  when  he  was  precipitated  into 
the  sea  of  Tarshish- 


§  14.  ANCIENT  VERSIONS  :  TARGUM.  87 

4 :  10,  11.  The  roaring  of  the  lion,  the  voice  of  the  fierce 
lion,  and  the  teeth  of  the  young  lions  are  broken.  (11)  The 
old  lion  perisheth,  for  lack  of  prey,  and  the  stout  lion's 
whelps  are  scattered  abroad. 

Chald.  The  roaring  of  Esau  which  is  compared  to  a  ravenous 
lion,  and  the  voice  of  Edom  which  _js  compared  to  a  lioness,  they 
rage  as  bears  over  their  prey  ;  and  his  princes  (who  are  compared  to 
the  lioness)  separate  themselves  that  they  may  seize  the  prey.  (11) 
As  the  lion  perisheth,  when  he  hath  no  prey,  so  will  perish  Ishmael, 
because  he  hath  no  merit ;  and  also  his  sons,  the  robbers,  who  separate 
themselves  from  the  right  way.  (Another  reading).  Ishmael,  who  is 
compared  to  lions,  shall  perish  because  he  has  no  merit ;  and  the  sons 
of  Lot,  who  is  likened  to  the  old  lion,  shall  be  separated  from  the 
congregation. 

The  like  we  find  almost  at  every  step  of  our  way,  through 
the  whole  book.  But  it  is  of  no  use  to  cite  further ;  «'£ 
6vv%os  —  kt'ovra. 

Turn  we  now  to  the  book  of  Psalms.  Here  is  more 
moderation,  indeed,  but  still  a  like  spirit. 

Ps.  19:12  (11).  Moreover,  by  them  is  thy  servant 
warned,  and  in  keeping  of  them  is  great  reward. 

Chald.  Truly  by  them  is  thy  servant  warned ;  as  their  varieties 
were  kept,  so  was  the  good  of  Israel  accomplished. 

45 :  18.  I  will  celebrate  thy  name  in  every  generation ; 
therefore  shall  the  nations  praise  thee  forever  and  ever. 

Chald.  At  that  time  shall  ye  say  :  We  will  remember  thy  name  in 
every  generation  ;  therefore  the  people  who  shall  sojourn,  shall  confess 
thy  name  forever  and  to  ages  of  ages. 

46 :  6.  God  is  in  the  midst  of  her,  she  shall  never  be 
moved ;  God  shall  help  her,  at  the  approach  of  the 
morning. 

Chald.  The  Shechinah  of  Jehovah  is  in  the  midst  of  her,  she 
shall  not  be  moved;  Jehovah  shall  help  her,  because  of  the  righteous 
ness  of  Abraham,  who  prayed  for  her  at  early  morning. 


88  §  14.  ANCIENT  VERSIONS  :  TARGUM. 

110:1.  Jehovah  said  unto  my  Lord:  Sit  thou  at  my 
right  hand,  until  I  make  thine  enemies  thy  footstool. 

Chald.  Jehovah  hath  declared  by  his  Word,  that  he  would  make 
me  Lord  over  all  Israel ;  but  he  said  to  me  again :  Wait  for  Saul  of 
the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  until  he  die,  for  there  is  no  kingly  dominion 
which  will  bring  near  an  associate  with  it ;  and  after  this,  I  will  make 
thine  enemies  thy  footstool.  [Another  Targum].  God  said  by  his 
Word,  that  he  would  give  me  rale,  because  I  have  sat  as  a  learner  of 
the  instruction  of  the  law,  at  his  right  hand.  Wait  thou  until  I  shall 
make  thine  enemies  thy  footstool. 

It  must  be  noted,  that  these  specimens  by  no  means  stand 
alone,  as  if  they  were  singular  or  strange,  in  the  Targums 
of  these  books.  More  or  less  which  resembles  them  will 
be  found  on  every  side,  if  any  one  will  take  the  pains  to 
pursue  an  examination.  Let  it  be  noted  also,  that  the 
Peshito  has  not  the  least  spice  of  this  Midrash,  in  any  one 
of  the  passages  above  cited ;  and  so  generally,  in  regard  to 
all  the  Midrashim  and  Haggadoth  of  the  Targums.  What 
then  becomes  of  Bertheau's  position,  viz.,  that  the  Targums 
copied  the  Syriac  version  ? 

But  as  to  the  main  point  before  us,  nothing  can  be  plainer, 
than  that  the  judgment  of  Zunz,  of  Havernick,  and  of 
others,  as  to  identity  of  authorship  in  respect  to  the  Targums 
of  rtax ,  is  a  hasty  judgment,  made  up  without  much  exam 
ination,  and  at  all  events  without  sufficient  grounds.  We  deny 
the  assertion,  in  its  whole  length  and  breadth  ;  and  we  have 
produced  witnesses  on  whose  testimony  we  may  rely. 

As  we  have  no  certainty  in  respect  to  the  individual  who 
was  the  author  of  the  Targum  on  Proverbs,  so  we  may  be 
allowed  to  indulge  a  little  in  conjecture,  keeping  all  the 
while  in  mind  that  it  is  no  more  than  conjecture.  It  is 
plain  that  the  Syriac  translator  lias  nowhere  exhibited  either 
the  Targumic  paraphrases,  or  glosses,  or  Midrashim,  or 
Haggadoth.  Now  as  the  Targum  on  Proverbs  has  the 
same  character  in  all  respects,  as  the  version  of  the  Syriac ; 


§14.   ANCIENT  VERSIONS  :  TARGUM.  89 

and  specially  as  the  author  of  the  Syriac  has  more  than 
half  the  time  employed  3  as  a  prefix  formative  of  the  third 
pers.  sing,  and  plur.  of  the  Fut.,  instead  of  the  usual  and 
normal  •» ,  (thus  showing  a  strong  bias  to  use  Syriac  forms, 
and  showing  thereby  that  he  was  probably  a  Syrian  Jew)  ; 
putting  all  these  things,  I  say,  together,  and  bringing  into 
the  account  the  strong  resemblance  between  the  two  ver 
sions,  viz.,  the  Syr.  and  Chald.,  is  it  not  quite  probable,  that 
the  Chaldee  version  was  made  for  such  of  the  Mesopota- 
mians  as  spoke  Chaldee  ;  or  at  least  made  by  a  Syrian  Jew, 
who  was  conversant  with  the  Peshito,  and  imitated  its  main 
features  ?  I  mean  that  he  followed  the  general  style  and 
manner  of  the  Peshito,  not  that  he  copied  from  it  individu 
ally,  or  made  it  a  basis  of  his  version  in  this  special  respect. 
Too  often  does  he  differ  from  the  Syriac,  to  render  such  a 
supposition  allowable. 

In  this  way  AVC  can  account  for  what  all  acknowledge, 
viz.,  the  resemblance  between  the  Peshito  and  the  Targum. 
The  taste  of  the  translator  was  formed  by  the  Peshito ;  and, 
approving  of  this,  he  has  translated  simply,  neatly,  and 
accurately.  Invaluable  would  the  other  Targums  be,  if 
they  were  all  like  this. 

When  this  work  was  performed,  is  uncertain.  I  can  find 
nothing  which  indicates  a  late  period.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  tenor  and  spirit  of  the  Targum,  would  seem  to  render  it 
probable,  that  it  was  made  not  much  after  that  of  Onkelos. 
There  is  the  same  simplicity ;  although  the  Chaldee  is 
not  so  pure.  But  this  depended  more  on  individuality  of 
character  and  talent,  than  on  any  particular  time.  The 
deepest  Rabbinisms  of  the  Talmud  do  not  abound  here. 
Neither  the  form  nor  the  manner  of  any  part  of  the  work 
speaks  of  the  Talmudical  age.  In  such  an  age,  it  would 
hardly  have  been  possible  to  make  a  version  so  true,  simple, 
and  literal  as  that  of  the  Targum  on  the  Proverbs.  The 
universal  remains  of  the  later  Rabbinical  ages  exhibit  a 

8* 


90  §  14.  ANCIENT  VERSIONS  :  VULGATE. 

different  taste  and  style  of  writing.  Midrash  was  a  thing 
of  course  to  be  expected  in  them  ;  and  the  later  the  version, 
the  more  does  this,  and  also  Haggadoth,  abound.  Hence 
the  mare  magnum  of  Rabbinism  into  which  the  Targums  on 
Ecc.  and  Canticles  plunge.  Indeed,  the  general  tenor  of 
the  Tprgums  on  the  Hagiography,  is  widely  diverse  from 
that  on  the  Proverbs  ;  so  widely,  that  an  earlier  age  is  the 
only  probable  period  of  the  rise  of  the  Targum  before  us. 


IV.   THE  VULGATE. 

Little  need  be  said  of  this,  as  it  is  so  easily  accessible, 
and  every  one  can  compare  for  himself.  In  general,  it  is 
about  as  literal,  simple,  and  faithful,  as  the  Targum  and  the 
Peshito.  Now  and  then,  we  meet  with  a  case  where  Jerome 
read  the  text  with  different  vowels  from  the  present  Maso- 
retic  ones  ;  in  some  cases  the  similar  letters  are  exchanged. 
These  all,  however,  are  not  of  any  amount  worth  special 
reckoning.  Jerome  appears  to  have  entered  well  into  the 
spirit  of  the  book,  and  in  general  to  have  understood  it 
aright. 

The  perplexing  title  to  chap  xxx.  he  has  rendered  nearer 
to  the  Heb.  text,  than  any  of  the  ancient  translators.  Still, 
one  part  of  it  is  a  singularity :  "  Verba  Congregantis  filii 
Vomentis,  visio,  quam  locutus  est  vir,  cum  quo  est  Deus,  et 
qui  Deo  secum  morante  confortatus,  ait."  He  renders  I'lax 
as  a  Part,  of  "lix ,  to  collect,  and  so  makes  out  the  Gen.  Con 
gregantis.  But  Vomentis  seems  to  be  a  problem.  He 
doubtless  sought  for  the  root  of  the  strange  word  (njr^)  in 
Kip,  to  vomit,  which  he  must  have  read  in  the  Imperf. 
Hiphil,  *$*  =  X"^ .  Hence  his  Vomentis,  (a  personal 
name  which  is  strange  enough).  For  the  rest,  xittig  is 
visio,  and  fix?  is  rendered  participially,  or  rather  as  a  verb 
deponent.  Cum  quo  est  Deus,  is  made  out  from  bxTV>xb , 
which  he  must  have  read  bx  "imxb ,  making  r,*x  out  of  nx , 


§  14.   ANCIENT  VERSIONS  :  VULGATE.  91 

with,  Yodh  being  used  only  as  a  mater  lectionis.  In  the 
second  case,  this  same  word  is  rendered :  Et  qui  Deo  secum 
morante,  which  is  merely  a  variation  of  phraseology.  Then 
comes  confortatus,  for  which  we  have  no  word  left  but  brs; , 
and  which  must  have  been  regarded  by  Jerome  as  the  Part, 
of  Pual,  omitting  (as  not  unfrequently)  the  a  formative. 
Jerome,  therefore,  probably  attached  to  it  the  idea  of  fed, 
supplied  with  food,  and  so,  tropically,  comforted.  He  seems 
not  to  have  conjectured,  that  there  were  any  proper  names 
in  the  last  part  of  the  verse. 

The  Sept.  translator  has  shown  that  the  verse  in  question 
baffled  his  knowledge  of  the  Hebrew.  He  sums  up  the 
whole  verse  thus :  2\ide  Myu  6  dvqQ  rolg  niGT&vovGi  &erp, 
xal  navoficu.  The  toig  niarevovGi  it  is  somewhat  difficult 
to  make  out,  but  still  it  may  be  done.  They  must  have  read 
bis  "^"ixb ,  i.  e.  to  those  who  consent  to  or  confide  in  God.  As 
to  the  last  words,  xal  Travopcu,,  th'ey  are  the  literal  rendering 
of  i=xj,  Fut.  apoc.  of  n^3.  See  Comm.  on  30:  1,  where 
this  hint  is  followed  out,  in  the  rendering  and  explanat'on 
of  the  verse. 

The  Targum  here  gives  the  lead  to  our  common  English 
version,  and  follows  closely  the  present  Hebrew  vowels.  The 
Peshito  is  in  perplexity :  "  The  words  of  Agur,  the  son  of 
Jakeh,  who  obtained  the  prophetic  gift,  and  acquired  strength, 
and  said  to  Ithiel."  In  acquired  strength,  we  see  the  same 
idea  which  in  Jerome  is  expressed  by  confortatus  est,  i.  e. 
the  Pual  Part.  ^3X ,  fed,  nourished. 

It  is  obvious  that,  in  consequence  of  the  various  hints 
given  in  these  versions,  the  recent  exegesis  of  this  passage 
has  been  aided  not  a  little.  At  all  events,  we  seem  now  to 
have  obtained  a  version  which  is  more  congruous  with  per 
spicuity  and  with  the  context. 

The  difficult  word  Di'pbx,in  30 :  31,  plainly  perplexed 
Jerome.  He  has  rendered  the  clause  thus  :  Nee  est  rex,  qui 
resistat  ei.  The  nee  is  against  the  tenor  of  the  sense,  which 


92  §  15.   BOOK  OF  THE  SON  OF  SIBAUH. 

demands  et  here.  Had  he  rendered  it  thus:  Et  rex  cui 
nemo  resistat,  he  would  have  come  very  near  to  the  meaning 
of  the  original. 

On  the  whole,  we  could  not  well  dispense  with  the 
Vulgate.  It  is  so  far  literal  and  close,  as  to  afford  either 
new  aid  in  interpreting  the  text,  or  else  it  helps  to  confirm 
the  other  and  older  versions. 


§  15.   Apocryphal  Imitations  of  Proverbs. 

Of  these  we  have  two  books,  comprised  in  the  so-called 
Apocrypha.  This  contains  books  written  originally  for  the 
most  part  in  Greek,  and  at  a  late  period,  i.  e.  during  the 
second  century  B.  c.  The  usual  names  of  the  two  books  in 
question,  are  The  Wisdom  of  Solomon,  and  The  Wisdom  of 
Jesus  the  son  of  Sirach,  which  last  is  also  named  Ecclesi- 
asticus,  and  thus  distinguished  from  JEcclesiastes  or  Coheleth. 
We  begin  with  the  latter,  because  that,  in  all  probability, 
it  is  the  older  of  the  two ;  and  which,  for  convenience  sake, 
we  shall  call  simply  Sirach. 

I.   SIRACH. 

In  the  prologue  to  this  book,  the  name  of  the  original 
author  is  given,  viz.  Jesus,  who  was  a  Jew  of  Jerusalem,  that 
devoted  himself  to  sacred  studies,  and  to  "gathering  the 
grave  and  short  sentences  of  wise  men  who  had  been  before 
him ;"  and  not  only  this,  but  "  he  uttered  some  of  his  own, 
full  of  much  understanding  and  wisdom,"  (Pref.).  His  book, 
"  almost  perfected,"  was  bequeathed  by  him  to  his  son ;  and 
the  last  bequeathed  it  to  his  own  son,  Jesus,  named  after  his 
grandfather  the  author  of  the  book. 

It  was  written  originally  in  Hebrew;  but  the  original 
seems  to  have  perished  long  ago,  and  we  have  no  specimens 
of  it  left,  excepting  about  some  forty  passages,  preserved  in 
the  early  Jewish  Rabbinical  writings.  These  show  that  it 


§  15.  BOOK  OF  THE  SON  OF  SIRACH.  93 

was  written  in  pure  Hebrew ;  as  might  be  expected  from 
the  character  and  attainments  of  the  author.  The  Greek 
translation  of  the  book  was  made  by  the  son  of  Sirach  (and 
grandson  of  the  author),  about  A.  D.  131.  It  must  therefore 
have  been  written  about  A.  D.  180 ;  at  all  events,  before  the 
bitter  and  bloody  persecutions  of  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  since 
no  express  allusion  to  them  seems  anywhere  to  be  made. 
Chap,  xxxvi.  may  perhaps  be  construed  as  having  relation 
to  these ;  but  I  apprehend  the  meaning  here  to  be  more 
general,  and  it  has  too  little  of  intensity.  The  Greek 
version  which  is  before  us,  is  doubtless  a  pretty  faithful  one ; 
since  the  author  appears  to  be  a  modest  and  sensible  man, 
and  one  well  skilled  in  both  languages,  if  we  may  trust  to 
his  Prologue.  Doubtless  the  Greek  version  became  cur 
rent  abroad,  at  Alexandria,  and  elsewhere,  where  Greek 
was  understood,  and  where  there  were  but  few  who  could 
read  the  Hebrew. 

The  whole  work  is  plainly  a  designed  imitation  of  the 
Proverbs  of  Solomon.  But  it  is  much  more  copious  than 
the  Proverbs,  containing  fifty-one  chapters  of  about  the 
ordinary  length. 

In  manner  and  form,  the  resemblance  to  the  work  of  the 
true  Solomon  is  somewhat  striking.  By  far  the  greater 
portion  of  the  book  consists  of  parallelisms  completed  in  one 
and  the  same  verse ;  like  Part  II.  of  the  book  of  Proverbs. 
Yet  there  is  nothing  like  the  uniformity,  in  this  respect, 
which  reigns  in  Part  II.  It  resembles  much  more  Part  IV. 
of  Proverbs,  where  single  couplets  are  often  exchanged  for 
double  ones,  or  for  treble,  and  even  more.  So  in  Sirach. 
It  comprises  some  fourteen  hundred  and  one  verses  in  the 
whole ;  and  of  these,  at  least  two  hundred  and  sixteen  are 
double  couplets,  and  some  are  treble,  and  some  even  more. 
Then  again,  there  are  a  few  examples,  as  in  the  book  of 
Proverbs,  of  sentences  completed  by  only  one  member  of 
the  parallelism  ;  e.  g.  12 :  7.  17  :  10.  32  :  21.  22.  34  :  4,  5. 


9-1  §  15.   BOOK  OF  THE  Sox  OF  SIRACH. 

37  :  3,  17.  It  is  unnecessary  to  refer  to  the  complex  verses 
individually,  as  they  everywhere  present  themselves  to  the 
eye  of  the  observer. 

Besides  these,  however,  are  a  large  number  of  passages 
where  the  same  subject  is  continued  through  several  verses  ; 
e.  g.  4:  11 — 19,  respecting  wisdom  ;  again  the  same  subject, 
6 :  18—33.  So  as  to  various  subjects,  in  9  :  1—9.  10 :  7 — 
18.  14:  20  to  15:  5.  24:  1—34.  25  :  17—26.  26  :  1—27. 
30:  1—13.  31 :  1—10  and  25—31.  33  :  25—31,  al.  Chaps, 
xliv — 1.  are  a  continuous  and  connected  eulogy  of  the  ancient 
worthies.  Chap.  li.  is  one  continuous  prayer.  Besides  these 
striking  exhibitions  of  long-continued  subjects,  there  are 
many  more  of  a  briefer  kind,  comprising  two,  three,  four,  or 
more  verses. 

As  to  the  poetry  of  the  book,  it  is,  as  might  be  supposed 
in  regard  to  a  period  so  late,  of  the  looser  kind,  in  respect  to 
a  very  considerable  part  of  it.  Indeed,  one  might  well  say 
of  a  large  portion :  "  Nisi  pede  differt,  sermo  merus."  Take, 
at  random,  as  a  sample  of  much  in  the  book,  a  passage 
in  37:  12—16. 

(12)  Be  continually  with  the  godly  man.  whom  thou  knowest  to 
keep  the  commandments  of  the  Lord  ;  whose  mind  is  according  to  thy 
mind,  and  who  will  sorrow  with  thee  if  thou  shouldest  miscarry;  (13) 
And  let  the  counsel  of  thine  own  heart  stand,  for  there  is  no  man 
more  faithful  unto  thee  than  it;  (14)  For  a  man's  mind  is  sometimes 
wont  to  tell  him  more  than  seven  watchmen,  who  sit  above  in  a  high 
tower.  (15)  And  above  all  this,  pray  to  the  Most  High,  that  he  will 
direct  thy  way  in  truth;  (16)  Let  reason  go  before  every  enterprise, 
and  counsel  before  every  action. 

Here,  if  we  except  v.  1 6,  there  is  scarcely  a  vestige  of 
poetical  costume.  Yet  there  is  a  kind  of  correspondence  in 
the  length  of  clauses,  such  as  may  be  found  in  some  of  the 
latter  part,  of  Proverbs,  and  in  Coheleth.  All  this  is  char 
acteristic  of  the  later  form  of  Hebrew  poetry. 

The  book  contains  a  large  number  of  excellent  maxims ; 
and  almost  or  quite  an  equal  number  of  sentences,  which 


§  15.     BOOK    OF    THE   SOX       F    SlKACH.  05 

rather  incline  toward  tame  and  common-place  ethics. 
Eichhorn  has  characterized  the  work  pretty  justly.  He 
says :  "  The  book  of  Jesus  Sirach  is  a  rhapsody  of  moral 
declamations  ;  of  reflections  both  longer  and  shorter  on  the 
course  of  worldly  things,  on  the  modes  of  life  and  of  wise 
living  among  men  of  all  conditions,  ranks,  and  age.  It  is  a 
collection  of  various  thoughts  and  sallies  of  the  mind,  some 
times  separate  and  sometimes  connected ;  of  common  and 
discriminating,  of  witty  and  pointed  sayings,  which  have 
respect  to  a  wise  and  prudent  use  of  life.  It  is  a  fit  com 
panion  for  the  Wisdom  of  Solomon,"  Einl.  iv.  p.  42. 

This  is  not  a  proper  place  for  pursuing  critical  character 
istic  into  detail.  We  must  therefore  be  content  with  a  few 
hints  more,  which  may  give  a  general  lead  to  our  thoughts 
respecting  the  character  of  this  book. 

With  not  a  little  here  and  there  that  is  either  fiat  or 
mediocre,  there  are  some  sentiments,  also,  which  are  erro 
neous  in  a  moral  or  religious  point  of  view ;  e.  g.  3 :  30, 
"  Alms  maketh  an  atonement  for  sins."  In  4:5,  6,  the 
author  recognizes  the  ancient  superstition,  (still  widely 
spread  among  the  heathen),  that  cursing  by  an  envious 
and  malignant  man,  will  have  a  sure  fulfilment.  Some 
singular  ideas  appear  here  arid  there.  In  18 :  9,  he  states 
the  number  of  man's  days,  at  most,  to  be  a  hundred  years.  In 
20  :  4,  is  a  sentiment  respecting  eunuchs,  that  at  least  seems 
strange.  In  25 :  24,  he  says :  "  Of  the  woman  came  the 
beginning  of  sin,"  (adhering  to  the  letter  of  the  history  in 
Genesis,  like  Paul,  in  1  Tim.  2:  13—15).  In  33:  25—31, 
is  a  singular  paragraph  respecting  servants,  which  contains  a 
strange  mixture  of  severity  and  of  kindness*  "  Bread,  cor 
rection,  and  work,  are  for  a  servant ;  tortures  and  torments 
for  him  also,  when  he  is  idle  or  vicious.  If  he  will  not 
work,  —  put  on  more  heavy  fetters."  This  looks  ominous  ; 
but  it  is  softened  somewhat  and  amended  by  what  follows  : 
"  Be  not  excessive  in  demands  on  him ;  let  him  be  unto  the* 


96  §  15.   BOOK  OF  THE  SON  OF  SIRACH. 

as  thyself;  entreat  him  as  a  brother,  for  thou  hast  need  of 
him."  This  shows  at  least,  that,  although  among  the  He 
brews  the  punishment  of  servants  was  left  at  the  discretion 
of  the  masters,  yet  the  maxims  of  humanity  were  predom 
inant,  and  all  unnecessary  severity  was  to  be  shunned. 
Singular,  indeed,  also,  is  38:  1 — 15,  in  respect  to  a  physi 
cian,  and  the  aid  which  he  may  render.  More  strange  are 
some  things  in  38:  16 — 23,  in  respect  to  mourning  for  the 
dead.  The  thoughts  concerning  the  leisure  necessary  to  a 
man  who  would  become  learned,  although  expressed  in  a 
manner  unique,  and  even  in  such  a  way  as  to  provoke  a 
smile,  will  yet  address  themselves  with  force  to  the  sympa 
thies  of  every  real  student ;  see  38  :  24 — 34. 

Some  of  the  writer's  similes  are  quite  peculiar.  Thus, 
speaking  of  himself  as  having  many  thoughts  to  communi 
cate,  he  says:  "  I  am  filled  as  the  moon  at  the  full,"  39  :  12. 
In  the  doctrine  of  evil  spirits  who  inflict  vengeance,  he  is  a 
full  believer,  39 :  28.  Yet  there  are  no  special  traits  of 
superstition,  or  Pharisaic  views  respecting  the  worth  of 
legal  rights  and  ceremonies;  indeed,  the  direct  contrary 
seems  to  be  taught,  in  8:9. 

Throughout  the  book,  there  is  a  high  moral  and  religious 
tone.  The  great  doctrine  of  retribution  is  everywhere 
advanced,  as  in  the  book  of  Proverbs  and  Coheleth. 
Yet  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  and  future  rewards  and 
punishments,  are  rather  implied,  than  expressly  taught; 
plainly  they  are  not  taught  as  in  Wisdom  2 :  23.  3 :  1 — 3, 
al.  So  far  as  the  interests  of  religion  are  concerned,  the 
book,  with  the  exception  of  a  very  few  verses,  might  be 
joined  with  our  Canon  of  Scripture,  without  any  serious 
injury.  But  with  all  the  good  which  it  contains,  and  the 
many  prudential  and  excellent  maxims  which  it  inculcates, 
one  cannot  help  the  feeling,  while  reading  it,  that  it  is  quite 
different  from  anything  in  the  Old  Testament  or  the  New. 
Indeed,  it  is  plainly  a  true  copy  of  a  pious  Jew's  feelings, 


§  15.   BOOK  OF  THE  SON  OF  SIRACH.  97 

at  the  time  when  the  book  was  written.  But  we  find  in  it 
no  Messianic  hopes,  and  no  certain  index  to  the  then  pre 
vailing  opinions  of  the  Jews,  in  relation  to  this  great  subject. 
This  seems  strange ;  and  the  more  so,  as  chaps,  xliv — 1.  con 
tain  a  eulogy  of  distinguished  men,  in  the  regular  order,  for 
the  most  part,  of  Jewish  history.  This  last  composition,  by 
the  way,  is  widely  distinguished  from  all  the  rest  of  the 
book ;  not  so  much  by  mere  style  and  manner,  as  by  a  long- 
protracted  discourse  or  eulogy,  which  ends  with  the  famous 
high-priest,  Simon,  one  of  the  Maccabees,  and  drops  the 
subject  with  him,  without  an  attempt  to  look  into  the  future 
condition  of  the  Jewish  people,  or  at  any  deliverer  of  them 
from  their  oppressions  by  the  heathen. 

That  they  were  under  such  oppression,  when  the  author 
wrote,  is  plain.  Such  passages  as  36  :  1 — 14.  51:2 — 11.  50: 
24 — 29,  and  others  which  might  be  adduced,  clearly  show  this. 
But  before  the  time  of  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  the  Jews  had 
been  treated  with  more  or  less  severity  alternately  by  both  the 
Egyptian  and  Syrian  kings,  and  also  by  their  neighbors,  the 
Samaritans  ;  see  50:  25,  26.  Strong  as  36  :  1 — 14  seems  to 
be,  it  would  probably  have  been  much  stronger  had  it  been 
written  under  Epiphanes.  It  should  be  noted,  that  foreign 
rulers  are  complained  of,  and  not  native  Jewish  rulers. 

Nothing  is  clearer,  than  that  the  author  was,  through  and 
through,  a  genuine  Palestine  Jew.  His  literature  is  all 
sacred ;  his  circle  of  knowledge  merely  scriptural.  He  is 
familiar  with  all  parts  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures,  and  alludes 
to  passages  almost  without  number,  in  Prov.,  Job,  Coheleth, 
the  Pent.,  and  also  the  Psalms  and  Prophets.  Yet  he  has 
hardly  ever  quoted  literally.  He  puts  new  costume  on 
ancient  personages,  and  so  presents  them  to  the  reader,  that 
the  latter  is  sometimes  at  a  loss  to  discover  where  they  have 
been  found  or  met  with  ;  comp.  e.  g.  Prov.  17  :  2  with  Sir.  10  : 
25  ;  Prov.  18  :  12  with  Sir.  10  :  7.  One  thing  is  remarkable, 
considering  that  he  lived  at  a  time  when  Greek  domination 
9 


98  §  15.   BOOK  OF  THE  SON  OF  SIRACH. 

had  been  exercised  for  two  centuries  over  nil  hither  Asia, 
and  of  course  Greek  literature  had  been  widely  diffused, 
viz.  that  still,  Si  rack  never  manifests  any  acquaintance  with  it; 
—  a  matter  in  which  he  greatly  differs  from  the  author  of 
the  book  of  Wisdom,  who  was  thoroughly  a  Graecizing  Jew, 
as  to  extent  of  knowledge. 

It  is  specially  to  be  noted  also,  that  there  is,  in  this  Jewish 
writer,  not  a  spice  of  Midrash  or  Haggadoth  ;  no  curious, 
conceited,  allegorical,  or  mystical  interpretations  of  the  Heb. 
Scriptures.  This  is  the  more  remarkable,  since  Philo  of 
Alexandria  everywhere  abounds  so  much  in  them.  But 
such  seems  to  have  been  the  difference  between  the  Alexan 
drine  and  the  Palestine  taste,  about  the  commencement  of 
the  Christian  era.  The  Targum  on  the  Proverbs,  and  the 
early  Peshito  version  of  the  same  book,  speak  plainly  as  to 
the  same  point,  and  shows  that  the  mystical  and  allegorical 
among  the  proper  Jews,  was  an  exotic  of  later  growth, 
although,  when  once  domesticated,  it  flourished  among  the 
Rabbins  belonging  to  the  dispersed  Jews,  beyond  all  example 
elsewhere. 

Whoever  washes  to  make  a  comparison  of  this  peculiar 
book  of  Sirach  with  the  Proverbs,  may  select  for  a  main 
topic  that  of  Wisdom.  Let  him  now  compare  Sir.  chap.  i. 
4:11—10.  G:18— 33.  14:20—27;  and  most  of  all,  let  him 
compare  24:1 — 25:  12,  with  Prov.  viii.  ix.,  the  former 
being  designed  as  a  kind  of  counterpart  of  the  latter.  Sirach 
is,  indeed,  not  destitute  of  some  fine  sentences  and  noble 
sentiments ;  but  as  a  whole,  how  striking  the  difference 
between  the  imitation  and  the  original!  In  the  former,  there 
are  many  things  which  might  well  be  spared,  because  they 
are  superfluous,  and  which  one  would  rather  wish  to  see 
Stricken  out,  because  they  approach  the  declamatory,  and 
almost  border  on  the  puerile.  In  point  of  real  fact,  the 
imitation,  when  placed  beside  the  origir.:;!,  ran  hardly  be 
said  to  be  anything  more  than  a  failure, —  pardonable,  per- 


§  13.    BOOK  OF  THE  SON  OF  SIHACH.  99 

haps,  but  still  rendering  the  picture  unworthy  of  the  high 
rank  of  that  in  the  proper  book  of  Proverbs. 

Everywhere  the  well-informed  reader  will  find  material 
for  comparison  between  Sir.  and  the  O.  Test.  It  would  be 
useless  to  occupy  room  here  with  a  list  of  such  passages ;  for 
they  occur  on  almost  every  page. 

On  the  whole,  as  a  specimen  of  Jewish  thought,  feeling, 
ethics,  and  religion  ;  also  of  Jewish  exegesis  and  theology ; 
during  the  interval  between  the  disappearance  of  the  proph 
ets  and  the  coming  of  Christ,  the  book  before  us  is  well 
deserving  of  critical  attention.  It  will  richly  repay  the 
student,  by  the  enlarged  views  it  will  give  him  of  ancient 
Heb.  customs,  manners,  and  modes  of  thinking  and  writing. 
Had  such  a  book  come  from  the  hand  of  a  heathen  Greek,  it 
would  probably  have  found  ten  commentators,  where  it  now 
has  obtained  one ;  and  long  since  it  would  have  been  made 
a  part  of  a  classical  course  of  study.  As  it  is,  few  now  even 
read  it ;  much  fewer  study  it ;  and  yet  it  has  more  sound, 
prudential,  ethical,  and  religious  precept  in  it,  than  the  whole 
body  of  Greek  and  Roman  moralizers,  from  Socrates  down  to 
jMarcus  Antoninus.  I  know  of  no  good  reason,  why  a  He 
brew  writer,  who  has  higher  eminence  as  a  moralist  and  a 
religionist,  should  be  put  in  a  place  below  those  to  whom  he 
is  actually  superior.  It  is  true,  that  the  Greek  of  Sirach  is 
not  as  attractive  as  that  of  Plato  and  Xenophon  ;  but  to  me  it 
seems  not  much  inferior  to  that  of  Epictetus  or  of  Plutarch. 

After  all,  as  has  already  been  said,  the  book  does  not,  in 
spirit  and  manner,  seem  like  to  the  books  either  of  the  New- 
Testament  or  of  the  Old.  There  are  some  things  in  it,  which 
are  trivial  and  unimportant ;  there  are  many  which  are 
mediocre  ;  while,  at  the  same  time,  much  of  it  would  make 
no  unworthy  addition  to  the  book  of  Proverbs  itself.  In 
animation,  however,  in  graphic  sketching,  in  energy,  and  in 
the  power  of  making  a  deep  impression,  the  latter  book  must 
ever  bo  regarded  as  quite  preeminent.  Tin's  indeed,  of  itself. 


100          §  15.   BOOK  OF  THE  SON  OF  SIKACII. 

would  not  decide  that  Sirach  should  be  excluded  from  the 
Canon.  But  inasmuch  as  some  of  the  sentiments  (e.  g.  that 
of  alms  making  an  atonement)  are  plainly  wrong  ;  since  the 
author  makes  no  claim  to  inspiration  ;  and  since  the  book  was 
professedly  compiled  long  after  the  succession  of  Heb.  proph 
ets  had  ceased,  and  accordingly  has  never  been  recognized  by 
the  Jews  as  an  inspired  book,  or  admitted  to  their  Canon, 
although  originally  written  (as  Jerome  testifies)  in  Hebrew ; 
we  cannot  accede  to  the  Romish  arrangement,  which  includes 
it  among  the  books  of  Scripture,  even  when  this  inclusion  is 
qualified  by  naming  the  book  deutero-canonical. 

One  thing,  at  least,  is  demonstrated  by  the  existence  of  such 
a  book,  viz.  that  the  proverbial  literature  of  the  Hebrews,  if 
we  may  so  speak,  was  exceedingly  rich.  The  first  Prologue, 
(from  the  hand  of  Pseudo-Athanasius,  in  Synopsis  Scrip- 
turae  Sac.),  says  that  the  author  collected  most  of  his  book 
"  from  the  grave  and  short  sentences  of  wise  men,"  and  also 
"uttered  some  of  his  own."  This,  although  no  authentic 
declaration,  at  least  shows  what  the  opinion  of  the  Christian 
fathers  in  the  fourth  century  was,  and  in  itself  it  looks  quite 
probable.  How  many  of  these  gnomes  had  come  down 
traditionally  from  Solomon  himself  among  the  Hebrews,  we 
cannot  determine ;  but  that  many  of  them  were  ancient,  and 
sanctioned  by  popular  and  long-continued  use,  seems  quite 
probable.  It  would  be  difficult  to  find  such  copious  gnomic 
stores  among  any  other  nation.  The  Arabians,  indeed,  are 
very  rich  in  this  particular,  as  has  been  noted  above  ;  but  a 
large  portion  of  their  maxims  and  pointed  sayings  have  an 
historical  basis  ;  like  to  our  rich  as  Croesus  ;  cruel  as  Nero  ; 
ambitious  as  Alexander,  and  the  like.  In  moral  and  religious 
gnomes,  we  could  not  expect  them  to  abound  as  the  Hebrews 
do.  The  simple  fact,  that  such  a  vast  store  of  gnomes, 
moral,  religious,  and  prudential,  existed  among  the  Hebrews, 
shows  that  their  minds  had  been  busy  with  subjects  of  this 
nature,  beyond  any  of  their  heathen  neighbors.  In  fine,  the 


§  15.  WISDOM  OF  SOLOMON.  101 

book  before  us,  which  displays  the  richness  of  these  stores, 
has  claims  on  the  attention  of  all  who  read  the  Hebrew 
Scriptures,  and  wish  to  study  the  Hebrew  character.  Nor 
will  a  proper  attention  to  it  be  without  a  due  reward. 

H.   THE  WISDOM  OF  SOLOMON. 

Such  is  the  current  title  of  a  book,  belonging  to  the  Apoc 
rypha,  and  which  seems  to  have  been  regarded  by  many  as 
one  of  the  genuine  works  of  Solomon.  It  is  useless,  at  this 
time,  to  refute  at  large  an  opinion  which  has  so  little  in 
its  favor.  The  question  has  long  been  regarded  by  most 
critics  as  settled,  that  the  production  is  from  a  much  later 
hand,  —  from  some  person  who  lived  in  Egypt  and  was  a 
Jew,  but  who  was  extensively  acquainted  with  the  literature, 
the  manners  and  customs,  the  superstitious  and  idolatrous 
rites,  of  Egypt  and  of  all  the  countries  in  hither  Asia.  Two 
considerations  suffice  to  show,  that  Solomon  had  no  con 
cern  in  the  composition  of  this  book.  The  first  is,  that  the 
style  is  for  the  most  part  utterly  discrepant  from  the  plain 
and  simple  style  of  the  Proverbs ;  the  second,  that  refer 
ences  are  everywhere  made  in  it  to  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  and 
other  late  sacred  writers,  who  lived  some  centuries  after 
Solomon  was  dead.  To  these  arguments  we  might  add 
others,  scarcely  less  decisive,  viz.  that  the  book  was  orig 
inally  written  in  Greek  (no  Hebrew  original  being  ever 
mentioned  as  known)  ;  and  also  that  it  is  filled  with  most 
demonstrative  evidences  of  the  knowledge  of  Alexandrine 
Platonism,  as  it  existed  at  or  near  the  time  of  Philo  Judaeus, 
among  the  disciples  of  the  later  Platonism. 

Hence,  even  in  ancient  times,  the  more  discerning  among 
the  Christian  fathers  rejected  it  from  the  Canon.  The  Jews 
never  admitted  it.  To  Philo  and  Josephus  it  was  unknown ; 
at  least,  it  is  not  mentioned  by  either  of  them.  Athanasius, 
Cyrill  Hieros.,  Gregory  Nazianz.,  and  Epiphanius,  declare 
it  to  be  apocryphal ;  and  Origen  omits  it,  in  his  catalogue 

9* 


102  §  15.    WISDOM  OF  SOLOMON. 

of  canonical  writers.  It  is  almost  needless  to  add,  that  all 
enlightened  modern  and  Protestant  critics  reject  it  from  the 
Canon. 

It  is  much  easier  to  show  that  Solomon  was  not  the  author 
of  the  book  before  us,  than  to  show  who  did  write  it.  It  has 
been  attributed  to  Zerubbabel  (J.  M.  Faber)  ;  also  to  Philo 
the  elder  (Drusius),  a  contemporary  of  Demetrius  Phalereus, 
in  the  time  of  Ptolemy  Philadelphia,  and  mentioned  by 
Josephus,  Cont.  Apion.  I.  23.  For  the  former  no  good  his 
torical  reason  is  alleged  ;  for  the  latter,  it  is  enough  to  say, 
that  Philo  the  elder  was  a  heathen,  while  the  book  of  Wisdom 
discloses,  in  every  page,  the  hand  of  a  pious  and  zealous 
Jew,  intimately  acquainted  with  all  parts  of  the  Jewish 
Scriptures.  Not  a  few  have  attributed  the  book  to  Philo 
Judaeus  ;  and  even  in  Jerome's  time,  there  were  some  who 
were  of  this  opinion,  as  he  tells  us  in  his  Pref.  ad  Lib.  Sap. 
Many  things  seem  to  favor  this  opinion.  A  large  number 
of  maxims,  ideas,  and  hypotheses  are  found  to  be  alike  in 
both.  The  coloring  of  New  Platonism  is  common  to  both. 
The  like  knowledge  of  Egypt,  and  of  literature  in  general, 
is  common  to  both ;  and  so  far  as  time  is  concerned,  Philo 
may  have  been  the  author,  for  he  was  born  some  twenty  or 
twenty-five  years  before  the  Christian  era.  But  Eichhorn 
(Einl.  iv.  s.  166,  seq.)  has  shown  beyond  all  question,  that 
the  discrepancies  between  Philo  and  the  book  of  Wisdom, 
are  too  numerous  and  too  important  to  admit  of  sameness 
of  authorship.  The  agreements  are  sufficiently  accounted 
for,  on  the  ground  that  the  author,  whoever  he  was,  lived  in 
the  same  country,  and  at  or  near  the  same  time,  as  Philo. 
Two  men,  brought  up  in  the  same  philosophico-religious 
school,  and  surrounded  by  the  same  people  and  the  same 
objects,  must  needs  hold  many  opinions,  and  have  many 
views,  in  common.  Nothing  can  be  more  certain,  than  that 
the  theological  views  of  the  author  of  Wisdom,  are  different, 
in  many  respects  very  different,  from  those  of  Philo.  The 


§  15.   WISDOM  OF  SOLOMON.  103 

latter,  in  his  views  of  the  Godhead  and  of  sin  and  holiness, 
was  half  a  Platonic  heathen,  as  Dorner  has  fully  shown, 
corap.  in  Biblioth.  Sac.  1850,  p.  GOG,  seq. ;  the  former  is  true 
to  his  Jewish  origin  and  his  religion.  A  holy  God,  making 
retribution  to  sinners,  and  rewarding  the  just,  stands  out  in 
high  relief,  from  every  page  of  the  book  of  Wisdom.  In 
Philo's  hands,  sin  and  holiness,  in  their  appropriate  scrip 
tural  sense,  scarcely  develop  themselves  in  a  prominent  way. 
There  have  not  been  wanting  some  of  high  name,  who 
regard  the  book  as  of  Christian  origin.  So  Bunsen,  in  his 
book  on  the  Church  of  the  Future.  Dr.  Nitzsch,  of  Bonn, 
(Deuts.  Zeitschrift,  1850,  No.  47,  seq.),  has  fully  answered 
his  allegations,  and  shown  the  utter  improbability  of  such  a 
supposition.  Indeed,  I  know  not  how  one  can  carefully 
read  the  whole  book,  and  then  cherish  such  an  opinion. 
There  is  not  one  word  about  a  Christ,  present  or  to  come,  in 
the  whole  book.  There  is  not  even  a  Messianic  longing  or 
hope  expressed  in  it.  After  a  careful  examination  of  those 
passages  which  are  alleged  to  have  their  basis  in  the  New- 
Testament,  I  have  found  none  which  did  not  admit  of 
another  solution.  E.  g.  Wisd.  15  :  3  is  compared  with  John 
17:  3,  but  may  easily  be  referred  to  Jer.  9  :  24 ;  so  Wisd. 
15 :  7  is  referred  to  Rom.  9:  21,  but  may  be  easily  traced 
to  Jer.  18:  6,  or  to  Is.  64:  8.  Again,  Wisd.  14  :  25—27  is 
referred  to  Rom.  1 :  28 — 32.  But  the  two  descriptions  need 
not  be  so  regarded,  as  if  the  one  were  dependent  on  the 
other,  (for  there  is  considerable  dissimilitude),  but  viewed 
as  springing  from  a  like  source,  viz.  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  heathen  character.  And  so  of  all  the  other  cases,  where 
similarity  is  said  to  exist,  it  either  springs  from  a  common 
source  of  quotation,  i.  e.  the  Old  Testament,  or  else  from 
a  knowledge  of  facts  common  to  both,  or  from  traditionary 
exegesis.  It  was  impossible  for  a  real  Christian  to  write 
a  book  so  religious,  and  not  once  recognize  the  religion  of 
Christ  as  already  existing,  or  about  to  be  introduced. 


104  §  15.  WISDOM  OF  SOLOMON. 

Of  all  the  apocryphal  books  of  the  Old  Testament,  the  one 
before  us  stands  preeminent  as  to  an  express  recognition  of 
the  immortality  of  the  soul,  and  of  a  future  retribution  of  the 
righteous  and  the  wicked  ;  see  1 :  15.  2:23.  3  :  1,  4.  4:7— 
10,  14,  19.  The  supremacy  of  the  Godhead;  his  wise  provi 
dence  ;  his  hatred  of  sin,  specially  of  idolatry  ;  his  propensity 
to  mercy  ;  and  his  love  to  the  obedient,  are  everywhere 
displayed  and  insisted  on  in  such  a  way,  as  that  the  book, 
in  respect  to  its  main  constituents,  might  very  safely  be 
admitted  to  at  least  a  deutero-canonical  rank.  But  hardly 
could  we  place  it  higher.  In  11 :  17,  we  have  a  declaration 
which  indeed  is  not  altogether  clear,  but  which  seems 
somewhat  plainly  to  recognize  the  Platonic  doctrine,  that 
God  did  not  create,  but  only  arranged  and  adorned  matter 
without  form :  "  Thy  hand  formed  the  world,  «£  dpoQCpov 
vlr^g  ;  "  (contrary  to  the  spirit  of  Gen.  1:  1—3).  Chap.  8  :  20 
indicates  plainly  the  preexistence  of  human  souls,  before  their 
union  with  bodies.  Much  coloring  also  is  given  to  various 
parts  of  the  book,  by  the  Platonism  of  the  writer ;  uncon 
sciously  developed,  it  may  be,  but  still,  as  the  book  now  is, 
this  serves  to  distinguish  the  whole  of  it  very  widely  from 
both  the  Old  Testament  and  the  New.  In  a  word,  since  the 
Jews  have  never  acknowledged  the  book  as  canonical,  we 
may  well  accede  to  their  judgment  in  the  matter,  at  least  if 
we  regard  a  prophetic  origin  as  necessary  to  make  a  book 
sacred  ;  or,  if  we  demand  of  a  book  that,  in  order  to  be 
ranked  as  canonical,  it  must  present  internal  evidence  of 
close  resemblance  to  the  admitted  Hebrew  Scriptures,  that 
resemblance  cannot  be  found  here.  That  the  book  before 
us  can  claim  neither  the  one  nor  the  other  of  these  charac 
teristics,  must  be  admitted  by  every  discerning  and  candid 
reader. 

Still,  it  is  a  highly  distinguished  and  deeply  religious 
book.  Its  author  was  extensively  read  in  the  learning  of 
the  times,  and  all  Egypt  and  hither  Asia  are  evidently 


§  15.   WISDOM  OF  SOLOMON.  105 

before  him,  and  his  allusions  extend  even  to  some  of  the 
Parsi  religious  notions,  as  well  as  to  the  different  modes  of 
idolatry.  It  is  a  book  which  deserves  much  more  attention 
than  it  has  received  ;  and  one  on  which,  I  may  add,  we  have 
no  tolerable  commentary  in  our  language. 

But  our  specific  object  is  not  a  critique  at  large  upon  the 
book.  We  have  said  thus  much,  merely  to  give  the  reader 
a  general  view.  Our  more  particular  purpose  of  comparison 
with  the  Proverbs,  must  now  be  pursued. 

Like  the  Proverbs,  it  exhibits  a  large  number  "of  gnomic 
precepts,  couched  in  parallelisms ;  but  these  in  general  are 
of  the  looser  kind,  and  savor  somewhat  of  the  prosaic.  Still, 
the  number  of  verses,  which  contain  three,  four,  or  more 
clauses,  is  quite  large,  and  specially  frequent  in  the  middle 
and  close  of  the  book.  Many  of  these  are  merely  a  kind  of 
measured  prose.  There  is  also  a  very  considerable  number 
of  verses,  which  contain  only  one  clause.  Indeed,  such  is 
the  internal  structure  of  the  book,  on  the  whole,  that  we  can 
hardly  suppose  the  writer  to  have  designed  to  write  poeti 
cally,  —  I  mean  as  to  measure.  It  stands  out  prominently 
and  widely  distinguished  from  the  generality  of  the  book  of 
Proverbs  in  these  respects. 

But  inasmuch  as  the  writer  personates  Solomon,  and 
represents  him  as  speaking,  we  naturally  expect  that  he 
would  have  his  eye  on  the  writings  of  the  wise  king,  and  in 
many  respects  aim  at  imitating  them.  This  he  has  done  ; 
but  how  successfully,  each  one  can  decide  for  himself,  who 
will  take  the  pains  to  compare  some  of  the  topics  which  are 
common  to  both  books.  We  must  limit  ourselves  here,  how 
ever,  to  one  principal  topic,  which  constitutes  the  leading 
similitude  between  the  two  books.  As  Solomon  was  counted 
the  wisest  of  men,  and  as  he  has  presented  us  with  a  sublime 
and  striking  picture  of  Wisdom,  in  Prov.  i — ix.,  specially  in 
chap,  viii.,  so  the  writer  of  the  book  before  us,  has,  directly 
or  indirectly,  pursued  this  topic  throughout  his  book.  In 


106  §  15.   WISDOM  OF  SOLOMON. 

Part  I.  (chap,  i — vi.),  which  is  addressed  to  magistrates  and 
kings,  he  points  out  the  counsel  which  Wisdom  gives,  in 
order  that  they  may  live  uprightly  and  do  good  to  others. 
In  this  counsel  is  included  many  a  maxim,  which  is  of  a 
generic  nature,  and  might  well  stand  in  the  book  of  Proverbs. 

These  admonitions  being  completed,  the  writer  next  pro 
ceeds,  in  imitation  of  Prov.  viii.,  to  eulogize  and  personify 
Wisdom.  Chaps,  vii — ix.  are  occupied  with  this  subject,  and 
with  the  expression  of  the  writer's  earnest  desire,  to  enjoy 
the  teachings  of  Wisdom.  Chaps,  x — xix.  are  occupied  with 
exhibiting  the  blessings  conferred  by  wisdom  on  the  good, 
and  the  severe  penalties  which  she  inflicts  on  the  foolish  or 
wicked ;  specially  on  those  who  are  devoted  to  idol-worship. 
The  example  of  punishment,  taken  from  the  plagues  of 
Egypt,  is  repeatedly  introduced,  and  the  writer  dwells  upon 
these  plagues,  and  adorns  his  style  with  much  rhetorical  dic 
tion,  and  by  the  accumulation  of  splendid,  and  many  of  them 
poetical,  images.  But  alas  !  he  has  overdone  the  matter, 
and  displayed  not  a  little  of  erroneous  taste  and  artificial 
rhetoric.  Is  this  to  be  attributed  to  the  wise  king?  No;  a 
writer  so  artificially  ornate,  and  showy,  and  sometimes  all 
but  declamatory,  can  never  have  been  Solomon  himself,  nor 
even  any  one  who  had  caught  either  his  style,  or  his  simple 
manner  of  thinking. 

Yet  with  this  occasionally  swelling  and  pompous  rhetoric, 
and  the  evident  efforts  to  write  finely,  there  is  intermingled 
many  a  vivid  image,  and  many  a  truly  eloquent  thought. 
The  later  Grecian  rhetoric  everywhere  gleams  through  ;  but 
this  does  not  wholly  obscure  or  suppress  what  is  highly 
worthy  of  perusal. 

I  have  already  mentioned,  that  WISDOM  is  the  leading 
topic  of  the  book,  —  Wisdom  as  she  is  in  herself,  and  Wis 
dom  as  exhibited  in  the  practical  instruction  and  guidance 
of  men.  We  must  dwell  for  a  moment  on  this  subject. 

I  would  premise  here,  that  Goyia  is  the  more  usual  word, 


§  15.  WISDOM  OF  SOLOMON.  107 

employed  to  designate  that  wisdom  of  God  which  is  mani 
fested  in  his  word  and  in  his  works.  It  has  two  other  names, 
which,  as  employed  in  this  book,  are  of  nearly  or  quite  the 
same  import.  It  is  sometimes  spoken  of  as  nvzvua,  and 
sometimes  as  P.oj'Oj,*.  These  are,  indeed,  too  plainly  of  the 
same  substantial  import,  to  need  any  argument  in  the  way 
of  confirmation, 

The  Wisdom  or  Word  of  God  is  personified  in  the  repre 
sentation  ;  and  sometimes,  as  an  energizing  influence,  it  is 
said  to  be  diffused  over  all  creation,  and  to  dwell  in  and 
guide  the  good  and  pious.  A  few  expressions  must  be 
quoted  to  enable  the  reader  to  make  a  comparison  with 
Wisdom,  as  exhibited  in  the  book  of  Proverbs. 

Wisd.  1:  6.  Wisdom  is  a  loving  Spirit  ...  (7)  For  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  filleth  the  world,  and  .  .  .  containeth  all  things.  6:  12.  Wisdom 
is  glorious,  and  never  fadcth  away. 

In  chap.  vii.  the  writer  goes  on  to  show  how  ardently 
Solomon  desired  communion  with  Wisdom,  and  what  uni 
versal  knowledge  of  men  and  things  she  communicated  to 
him,  7:  1 — 21.  Personifying  her,  the  writer  then  proceeds 
as  follows :  — 

V.  22.  Wisdom,  which  is  the  worker  of  all  things,  taught  me,  for  in 
her  is  an  intelligent  spirit :  holy,  one  only,  manifold,  subtile,  mobile, 
clear,  undented,  perspicuous,  incapable  of  harm,  loving  good,  quick, 
incapable  of  hindrance,  prone  to  do  good,  (23)  Philanthropic,  stead 
fast,  sure,  free  from  care,  all-powerful,  overseeing  all  things,  pervading 
all  intelligent,  pure,  and  most  subtile  spirits  ;  (24)  For  Wisdom  is 
more  mobile  than  all  motion  ;  she  passeth  through  and  pervadeth  all 
things  by  reason  of  purencss ;  (25)  For  she  is  the  breath  of  the  power 
of  God.  and  a  pure  emanation  of  the  glory  of  the  Almighty ;  there 
fore  no  defiled  thing  can  light  upon  her;  (26)  For  she  is  the  radiance 
of  everlasting  Light,  the  unspotted  mirror  of  the  power  of  God,  and 
the  image  of  his  goodness*,  (27)  And  although  but  one,  she  is  able  to 
do  all  things,  and  remaining  in  herself  she  makcth  all  things  anew ; 
and  in  all  ages,  passing  into  pious  souls,  she  maketh  them  friends  and 
prophets  of  God.  (28)  For  God  loveth  no  one,  except  him  who  dwell- 


108  §  15.   WISDOM  OP  SOLOMON. 

eth  in  Wisdom ;  (29)  For  she  is  more  beautiful  than  the  sun,  and 
above  all  the  arrangement  of  the  stars  ;  compared  with  the  light,  she 
is  found  superior  to  it.  (30)  Night  indeed  will  follow,  but  it  will  not 
prevail  against  Wisdom. 

From  tbis  soaring  and  adventurous  flight  of  fancy  and 
philosophy,  the  writer  descends,  in  order  to  relate  the  doings 
of  Wisdom  in  Solomon  and  in  others,  in  chap.  viii. "  God  only 
can  bestow  Wisdom,"  he  says  at  the  close,  "  and  she  is  to  be 
obtained  only  by  prayer."  Chap.  ix.  exhibits  a  specimen  of 
praying  for  her ;  and  Solomon  is  alleged  to  have  uttered 
such  a  prayer.  The  rest  of  the  book  exhibits  the  doings  of 
Wisdom,  in  respect  to  the  righteous  and  the  wicked,  by  de 
tailing  a  series  of  historical  events  recorded  in,  and  drawn 
from,  the  O.  Testament.  Very  much  of  it  is  occupied  with 
inveighing  against  idolatry ;  and  scarcely  anywhere  can  be 
found  more  indignant  sarcasm  and  cutting  reproof  in  respect 
to  this  sin.  Chaps,  xvi — xviii.  are  occupied  with  a  vivid, 
highly  wrought,  and  in  many  respects  poetic,  picture  of  the 
plagues  of  Egypt ;  which  is  brought  to  a  close  by  a  descrip 
tion  of  that  terrible  night,  in  which  all  the  first-born  were 
stricken  dead.  The  awful  executioner,  on  this  occasion,  is 
thus  described :  — 

18  :  15.  Thine  Almighty  Word  leaped  down  from  heaven,  out  of 
thy  royal  throne,  as  a  fierce  man  of  war,  into  the  midst  of  a  land  de 
voted  to  destruction  ;  (16)  And  brought  thine  unfeigned  command 
ment  as  a  sharp  sword,  and  standing  up,  filled  all  things  with  death. 
It  touched  the  heaven,  while  it  stood  on  the  earth. 

Such  are  the  views  of  the  writer  before  us,  on  the  subject 
of  the  Wisdom  or  Word  of  God;  views  partly  Platonic  and 
partly  Hebraistic.  To  deny  that  they  are  in  some  respects 
sublime,  would  be  to  do  the  author  injustice.  Not  a  few  of 
his  conceptions  are  indeed  lofty,  and  morally  pure,  and 
highly  spiritual.  An  immeasurable  distinction  between 
Wisdom  and  any  corporeal  personage,  is  everywhere  kept 


§  15.  WISDOM  OF  SOLOMON.  109 

up.  Yet  plainly  the  whole  is  personification  merely,  and 
Wisdom  is  not  a  hypostatic  or  personal  substance. 

A  single  look  will  tell  the  whole  story  of  the  difference 
between  the  picture  before  us,  and  the  truly  sublime  and 
simple  representation  in  Prov.  viii.  We  turn  away  from 
the  comparison,  after  making  it,  with  almost  a  rising  dislike 
of  the  picture  by  the  later  and  factitious  Solomon,  when 
viewed  in  connection  with  that  of  the  original  and  real  one. 
Later  Grecian  philosophers  and  rhetoricians  might  applaud 
the  book  of  Wisdom ;  for  its  style  is  adapted  to  their  taste. 
We  too  may  admire  its  lofty  religious  tone,  its  high  and 
reverential  regard  for  the  God  of  the  Bible,  and  its  deep- 
toned  abhorrence  of  heathen  pollution  and  idolatry.  We 
may  well  wonder,  indeed,  that  there  is  so  little  in  the  book 
which  will  give  any  offence  to  a  well-informed  Christian 
mind.  The  author,  beyond  a  doubt,  was  a  person  of  uncom 
mon  piety  and  zeal  for  religion,  so  far  as  he  knew  what  con 
stituted  true  religion.  We  find  in  him  neither  Pharisaism 
nor  Sadduceeism.  He  seems  to  have  been  a  true  and 
warm-hearted  disciple  of  Moses ;  while  he  was,  as  it  were, 
unconsciously  a  disciple  of  the  later  Platonism. 

Hence  the  conclusion,  that  he  was  not  a  Christian.  A 
man  of  feelings  so  ardent,  must  have  spoken  out  plainly 
and  fully  concerning  the  Messiah.  But  not  one  word  about 
such  a  personage,  either  as  already  come,  or  to  come.  The 
idea  of  a  spiritual  Messiah  seems,  indeed,  to  have  been 
mostly  given  up  among  the  Jews  who  lived  at,  or  some 
time  before,  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  era.  A  temporal 
deliverer  was  all  they  in  general  expected ;  at  any  rate,  no 
other  appears  in  the  books  of  Wisdom  and  of  the  Son  of 
Sirach.  In  fact,  it  is  quite  doubtful  whether  we  can  find 
even  such  an  one,  who  is  a  specific  person.  I  am  aware, 
indeed,  that  some  have  referred  Wisd.  2:  12 — 22  to  the 
persecution  and  death  of  Christ,  because  "the  just  man" 
who  is  persecuted,  is  called  "the  son  of  God''  (v.  18).  But 
10 


110  §  15.  WISDOM  OF  SOLOMON. 

this  cannot  prove  anything  important  to  the  purpose  in 
question,  because,  in  the  idiomatic  language  of  the  Jews,  all 
good  men  were  called  the  children  of  God.  The  passage  is 
in  its  nature  too  general  to  admit  of  the  specific  application 
in  question.  The  sequel  to  the  text  before  us  shows  plainly, 
that  the  just  man  (in  v.  18)  is  only  a  type  or  representative 
of  the  righteous  in  general ;  see  specially  3  :  1 — 7.  The  pas 
sage  in  3  :  8,  is  the  only  one  that  seems  to  be  Messianic  : 
"  They  [the  just]  shall  judge  the  nations,  and  have  domin 
ion  over  the  people ;  and  their  Lord  shall  reign  forever." 
The  context  shows,  that  this  designates  merely  the  ultimate 
triumph  of  the  righteous,  and  the  establishment  of  a  per 
petual  kingdom  by  him  who  is  the  Guardian  and  Guide  of 
just  men.  It  might  be  Messianic,  if  the  context  called  for 
such  a  meaning ;  but  as  it  is,  the  context  does  not  seem  to 
allow  of  this  interpretation. 

What  is  there,  then,  in  all  the  book,  to  determine  its  age  ? 
Nothing,  excepting  that  the  want  of  any  reference  to  Christ, 
as  already  come,  or  near  at  hand,  shows  that  the  writer  was 
not  a  Christian.  The  address  to  judges  and  kings,  in  i — vi., 
gives  strong  evidence  that  oppression  and  violence  were 
then  and  there  rife.  The  severe  reproaches  of  idolatry  in 
x — xix.  show,  moreover,  that  the  writer  was  much  annoyed 
by  idol-rites  and  worship.  He  could  not,  therefore,  have 
lived  in  Palestine,  where  idolatry  never  flourished,  after  the 
return  from  the  Babylonish  exile ;  but,  as  the  tenor  of  his 
work  shows,  he  must  have  been  a  resident  in  Egypt.  If  he 
had  lived  at  or  near  the  time  of  the  birth  of  Jesus  Christ, 
then  was  there  in  Egypt,  at  that  time,  a  mingled  and  motley 
throng  of  idol-worshippers,  the  old  Egyptians  or  Copts,  the 
Greeks,  and  the  Romans,  who  had  recently  added  Egypt  to 
their  domain.  Doubtless  these  different  nations  had  a  rival 
spirit  in  the  performance  of  their  religious  rites,  and  there 
fore  exhibited  much  zeal  in  the  prosecution  of  them.  All 
of  them  were  idolaters,  although  of  different  classes.  This 


§  16.   GENERAL  REMARKS.  Ill 

fact  will  well  account  for  the  phase  of  the  last  part  of  the 
book  of  Wisdom.  The  book  may  have  been  written  in 
Philo's  time,  for  he  was  born  some  twenty  or  twenty-five 
years  B.  c. ;  but  clearly  it  was  not  written  by  him ;  at  least 
if  diversity  in  the  style,  and  in  the  manner  of  treating  sub 
jects,  can  decide  anything  in  respect  to  such  a  question. 
The  probability  is,  therefore,  that  some  pious  Jew,  whose 
name  is  not  given,  either  not  long  before,  or  else  a  little 
after  the  birth  of  Christ,  wrote  the  book  of  Wisdom.  It  is 
singular,  indeed,  that  his  book  is  so  free  from  all  expres 
sions,  which  might  help  to  determine  the  exact  period  in 
which  he  lived. 

At  all  events,  however,  while  we  have  abundance  of  man 
ifest  tokens  that  he  meant  to  tread  in  the  steps  of  Solomon, 
inasmuch  as  he  had  assumed  his  name,  we  yet  see,  in  the 
most  convincing  manner,  how  insufficient  Grecian  art  and 
philosophy  are,  to  enable  a  writer  to  imitate  the  genuine 
Hebrew  authors,  who  were  under  the  leadings  of  divine 
inspiration.  The  deep  conviction  of  all  this,  which  the 
study  of  the  book  of  Wisdom  gives,  is  enough  to  repay  the 
reader  amply  for  the  labor  which  that  study  costs. 


§  1 6.    General  Remarks  on  the  Proverbs  of  the  Hebrews. 

We  have  now  come  to  a  position,  in  which  we  can  survey 
to  advantage  the  ground  of  proverbial  lore  among  the  He 
brews.  We  have  seen  how  very  extensive  it  was,  even  so 
early  as  the  days  of  Solomon,  "  who  spake  three  thousand 
proverbs,"  1  Kings  5 :  32.  Nothing  is  plainer  than  that, 
when  the  book  of  Proverbs  was  written,  or  at  any  rate 
when  it  was  finally  completed,  there  were  great  multi 
tudes  of  proverbs  which  had  been  originated  by  others,  as 
well  as  by  Solomon,  and  which  were  then  current  among  the 
Hebrews.  The  work  of  Jesus  Sirach  shows  us  a  very 
large  number,  which  were  current  nearly  two  hundred 


112  §  16.   GENERAL  REMARKS. 

years  B.  c.  The  author  of  the  book  of  Wisdom  has  exhib 
ited  many  more,  which  are  incorporated  with  the  body  of 
his  work.  At  a  later  period  still,  we  have  a  large  accession 
also  in  the  Pirqe  Abhoth,  or  Maxims  of  the  Fathers,  among 
the  Mishnical  Tracts.  Had  we  the  whole  in  one  body,  and 
if  to  these  were  added  the  many  gnomes  scattered  up  and 
down  the  Mishna  and  the  Talmud,  such  a  book  would  con 
stitute  a  Corpus  ProvcrUorum  not  to  be  equalled,  perhaps,  by 
the  proverbs  of  any  other  nation. 

It  is  thus  that  the  want  of  means  to  publish  and  circu 
late  books,  occasions  an  active  and  energetic  people  to 
embody  the  result  of  their  experience  and  reflections  in 
short  and  pithy  sentences,  which  are  easily  impressed  on 
the  mind,  and  are  easily  remembered  for  a  long  time.  In 
this  way,  traces  of  the  mental  energy  of  an  unlearned 
people  do  not  perish  or  wholly  disappear,  by  the  progress 
of  time ;  for  their  character  and  their  wisdom  are  enstamped 
on  the  gnomes  and  apothegms  which  are  perpetuated  by 
tradition. 

There  is  a  still  more  interesting  point  of  view,  in  which 
we  may  contemplate  this  matter.  The  proverbs  of  a  nation 
exhibit  in  reality,  as  has  already  been  remarked,  a  history 
of  its  social,  moral,  and  religious  culture  or  condition.  Max 
ims  and  gnomes  are  perpetuated  among  any  people,  only 
because  they  accord  with  their  feelings,  views,  and  reason 
ings.  Of  course,  they  are  unmistakable  intimations  of  its 
social,  moral,  and  religious  views  or  condition.  No  history 
of  its  external  relations,  of  its  wars  and  conquests,  or  even 
of  its  political  revolutions,  can  give  us  such  an  insight  into 
the  character  and  genius  of  a  nation,  as  the  current  maxims 
which  regulate  their  every  day  life.  In  these  are  embodied 
the  mental  reasonings,  the  moral  feelings,  the  social  propen 
sities,  and  (in  a  word)  the  whole  character  of  the  interior 
man.  And  hence  we  might  confidently  say :  Place  before 
us  the  whole  store  of  popular  proverbs  among  any  people  of 


§  16.   GENERAL  REMARKS.  113 

ancient  times,  and  we  will  tell  you  to  what  pitch  of  civiliza 
tion,  refinement,  and  moral  culture  they  have  arrived. 

Highly  important,  then,  in  respect  to  a  knowledge  of  that 
most  distinguished  people,  the  ancient  Hebrews,  is  the  gnomic 
lore,  which  has,  through  various  channels,  descended  to  us. 
Their  external  history,  important  as  it  is,  makes  them  far  less 
known  to  us,  than  this  internal  one.  Consequently,  as  has 
been  intimated  before,  he  who  intends  to  become  extensively 
acquainted  with  their  whole  and  true  character,  must  study 
it  as  developed  in  their  proverbs. 

It  has  often  been  said :  "  Give  me  the  privilege  and  power 
of  composing  the  popular  ballads  of  any  people,  and  I  will 
readily  concede  to  you  all  other  means  of  moulding  and  con 
forming  them  to  your  wishes."  This  may  be  true  as  to 
cherishing  a  military  or  a  patriotic  spirit ;  and  perhaps  it 
may  reach  even  farther  than  this.  But  I  would  say  with 
double  emphasis :  "  Give  me  the  power  and  privilege  of 
composing  all  of  a  nation's  proverbs,  and  of  making  them 
popular  and  current,  and  all  you  can  do  with  books  and 
treatises  will  have  less  influence  upon  the  mass  of  them,  than 
the  homely  maxims  which  are  in  every  body's  mouth  and  in 
every  heart." 

I  would  further  remark,  that,  if  we  may  judge  of  the  ancient 
Hebrew  nation  by  their  proverbial  lore,  we  must  surely  place 
them  in  an  elevated  rank  among  the  nations  of  former  times, 
as  to  their  social,  moral,  and  religious  views.  In  vain  do  we 
go  to  Hindoostan,  to  Persia,  to  Arabia,  to  Greece,  or  to  Rome, 
for  any  such  body  of  popular  maxims  to  regulate  both  the 
heart  and  life,  as  we  find  among  the  Hebrews.  In  all  this, 
the  elevating  influence  of  the  Old  Testament  religion  on  the 
national  character  becomes  a  plain  and  palpable  fact.  In 
literary  cultivation  the  Greeks  exceeded  them  ;  and  in  later 
times,  the  Romans.  But  this  kind  of  cultivation  seems  to 
have  produced  but  a  partial  influence  on  the  moral  and 
religious  state  of  those  heathen  nations.  And  although  bad 
10* 


114  §  17.   ARABIC  PROVERBS. 

men  among  the  Hebrews  were  never  wanting,  in  any  age, 
yet  that  the  mass  of  the  nation  should  have  chosen  and  re 
tained  the  gnomic  precepts  that  have  been  recorded  in  their 
books,  is  evidence  not  to  be  gainsayed  of  their  superior  moral 
culture,  and  of  their  general  social  and  moral  condition. 

Having  ventured  on  such  an  assertion,  I  must  crave  the 
liberty  to  offer  some  specimens  of  heathen  proverbs  in  order 
to  substantiate  it.  I  can  of  course  present  here  only  a  few 
of  these  ;  and  that  few  I  shall  confine  to  the  nations  of 
Arabia  and  of  Greece,  who  bordered  on  Palestine.  What  I 
do  select,  will  be  limited,  moreover,  to  those  only  which  ap 
pear  to  be  among  the  more  important,  and  which  are  most 
worthy  of  the  comparison  in  question.  The  great  mass  of 
them,  (which  are  indeed  not  without  significance,  but  are 
comparatively  less  important),  I  must  of  necessity  omit. 

§  17.  Specimen  of  Arabic  Proverbs. 

In  the  second  edition  of  Erpenius's  Arabic  Grammar,  with 
Notes  by  A.  Schultens,  is  inserted,  among  other  things, 
and  in  the  way  of  helping  to  make  out  a  Chrestomathy,  a 
Century  of  Arabic  Proverbs,  i.  e.  a  hundred  proverbs,  selected 
from  the  large  mass  of  Arabic  proverbial  lore.  The  design 
of  these  is  to  present  specimens  of  the  best  part  of  this  species 
of  composition.  From  these  I  shall  select  and  translate  as 
many  as  the  present  occasion  will  allow,  in  order  that  the 
reader  may  compare  them  with  the  Proverbs  of  Solomon. 
The  numbers  prefixed,  correspond  to  those  prefixed  in  Erpe- 
nius  ;  so  that  the  original  Arabic  may  be  easily  found  and 
compared,  by  any  one  desirous  of  so  doing. 

(1 )  The  beginning  of  wisdom  is  the  fear  of  God. 

(2)  The  learned  man.  in  his  own  native  land,  is   like  gold  in  the 
mine. 

(3)  He  who  regards  himself  as  a  wise  man.  both  God  and  man  will 
regard  him  as  an  ignorant  one. 


§  17.   ARABIC  PROVERBS.  115 

(4)  Whoever  desireth  to  become  powerful  in  wisdom,  he  must  not 
let  women  rule  over  him. 

(5)  It  is  easier  to  withdraw  a  malicious  man  from  his  malice,  than 
a  melancholy  one  from  his  sadness. 

(6)  Beware  of  him,  whom  thou  knowest  not  well. 

(7)  He  who  is  borne  onward  in  the  chariot  of  hope,  will  have  pov 
erty  for  a  companion. 

(9)  In  the  head  of  an  orphan,  the  surgeon  obtaineth  knowledge  for 
himself. 

(11)  It  is  better  for  thee  to  keep  thine  own  secret,  than  that  others 
should  keep  it  for  thce. 

(15)  A  fool  who  is  his  own  enemy,  —  how  can  he  be  the  friend  of 
another? 

(18)  Long  experience  is  increase  of  knowledge. 

(19)  If  all  men  should  become  wise,  the  world  would  be  depopulated. 

(20)  Kobbery  taketh  away  much  wealth. 

(21)  Sloth  and  much  sleep  remove  from  God,  and  bring  on  poverty. 

(23)  Do  good,  if  you  desire  others  to  do  good  to  you. 

(24)  Correct  thyself  that  thou  mayest  correct  others. 

(25)  The  beginning  of  anger  is  madness,  and  its  end  is  sorrow. 

(27)  The  man  whom  concupiscence  overcomcth,  will  perish. 

(28)  Religious  duty  slayeth  concupiscence. 

(29)  A  wise  enemy  is  better  than  a  friend  who  is  a  fool. 

(30)  To  abstain  from  coveting,  is  to  be  rich. 

(32)  Poverty  is  better  than  forbidden  riches  and  unjust  gain. 

(33)  The  tongue  of  a  mute  is  better  than  the  tongue  of  him  who 
uttereth  falsehood. . 

(34)  The  worst  of  men,  is  a  learned  man  who  profiteth  not  by  his 
learning. 

(35)  There  are  two  who  are  never  satisfied  ;  he  who  seeketh  after 
learning,  and  he  who  seeketh  after  wealth. 

(36)  A  person  without  instruction  is  a  body  without  a  soul. 
(39)  He  who  multiplieth  words,  will  slip  up. 

(41)  A  learned  man  in  exile,  is  better  than  a  pensioned  fool. 

(42)  Hear  and  learn  ;  keep  silence  and  have  peace. 

(46)  Patience  is  the  key  of  joy,  but  haste  is  the  key  of  penitence. 

(48)  He  who  justified!  himself  without  being  blamed,  will  bring 
blame  upon  himself. 

(50)  Three  are  not  profited  by  three,  the  noble  by  the  ignoble,  meu 
of  probity  by  those  without  probity,  the  wise  man  by  the  fool. 


116  §  17.  ARABIC  PROVERBS. 

(52)  He  is  the  wisest  man,  who  looketh  at  the  end. 

(53)  Three  things  are  unknown,  except  in  three  places;  bravery 
is  not  known  except  in  war,  a  wise  man  is  not  known  except  in  anger, 
nor  a  friend  except  in  time  of  need. 

(54)  He  who  cannot  tell  good  from  evil,  must  be  joined  with  beasts. 

(56)  A  wise  man  is  not  wise,  until  he  has  conquered  all  his  lusts. 

(57)  He  who  maketh  experiments,  increaseth  knowledge;  he  who 
taketh  everything  upon  trust,  increaseth  error. 

(59)  When  thou  hast  uttered  a  word,  it  hath  the  mastery  over  thee ; 
when  thou  hast  not  uttered  it,  thou  hast  the  mastery  over  it. 
(61 )  Seek  knowledge  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave. 
(64)  He  who  praiseth  obscurity  perpctuateth  it. 
(66)  The  love  of  the  world  and  of  riches  is  the  source  of  all  sin. 
(69)  Whatever  is  in  the  hands  of  a  servant  belongeth  to  his  master. 
(71 )  The  world  is  a  carcase,  and  they  who  seek  it  are  dogs. 

(74)  Reckon  not  thyself  with  men,  so  long  as  anger  getteth  the 
better  of  thee. 

(75)  Be  content  with  what  Godgiveth,  and  thou  shalt  be  rich. 

(76)  Abstinence  is  a  tree,  whose  root  is  contentment  and  its  fruit 
quietude. 

(76)  The  visitor  is  in  the  grasp  of  him  who  is  visited. 

(79)  A  camel  kneeleth  down  in  the  place  of  a  camel. 

(80)  The  world  consisteth  of  a  sufficiency,  and  not  of  an  abundance. 
(83)  Hare  visits  increase  love. 

(86)  Perfection   consisteth  in  three  things;    devotion  in  religion, 
patience  in  adversity,  and  prudence  in  life. 

(87)  A  ruler  without  justice  is  a  river  without  water. 

(89)  Learning  without  action  is  like  a  cloud  without  rain. 

(90)  He  who  honoreth  his  father,  prolongeth  his  days. 

(91)  A  rich  man  without  liberality  is  like  a  tree  without  fruit. 

(92)  A  poor  man  without  patience  is  like  a  lamp  without  oil. 

(93)  A  youth  without  penitence  is  like  a  house  without  a  roof. 

(94)  A  woman  without  modesty  is  like  meat  without  salt. 

(95)  One  day  of  the  learned  man  is  worth  the  whole  life  of  an 
unlearned  one. 

(98)  Show  not  thine  enmity  to   thine   enemy,  nor  to   him  who 
envieth  thee. 

(99)  Undertake  nothing,  until  thou  hast  well  considered  it. 

(100)  Talk  not  with  a  fool,  neither  have  any  intercourse  with  him, 
for  nothing  will  shame  him. 


§  17.   ARABIC  PROVERBS.  117 

Very  few  'of  these  maxims  need  any  explanation.  Re 
specting  those  which  may  seem  doubtful,  I  will  add  a  word 
for  the  sake  of  the  reader. 

In  No.  9,  the  chirurgeon  or  surgeon  is  represented  as 
choosing  the  orphan's  head  for  the  purpose  of  dissection,  i.  e. 
of  examination.  The  gist  of  the  proverb  lies  not  in  the 
assertion  that  knowledge  is  acquired  by  dissecting  a  head, 
but  in  the  assertion  that  an  orphan's  head  is  selected  as  the 
subject  of  operation.  He  has  no  parents  to  prevent  the 
profanation  of  his  dead  body,  and  to  rescue  it  from  a  treat 
ment  to  which  the  bodies  of  criminals  only  were  subjected. 
The  surgeon,  desirous  of  knowledge,  ventures  on  obtaining 
it  by  dissection  in  such  a  case,  without  the  fear  of  being 
brought  to  punishment.  The  moral  of  the  gnome  seems  to 
be,  that  men,  under  pretence  of  accomplishing  something 
useful,  will  invade  the  rights  of  others  who  cannot  avenge 
themselves,  in  order  to  secure  some  advantage. 

No.  19  is  a  sarcasm  on  women.  The  somewhat  occult 
meaning  is,  that  if  all  men  were  wise,  they  would  abstain 
from  marriage  and  from  sexual  intercourse,  and  so  the 
world  would  soon  become  depopulated.  In  reality,  the 
gnome  is  the  outpouring  of  bitter  irony,  against  the  woes 
of  an  unlucky  union  in  marriage. 

No.  79  is  of  partial  application,  being  used  only  in  refer 
ence  to  such  things  as,  being  alike,  usually  follow  one  another 
in  succession.  We  say  :  "  Like  begets  like,"  to  the  same 
purpose.  The  original  imagery  is  taken  from  a  spring  or 
watering-place,  where  camels  successively  kneel  to  drink, 
each  taking  the  same  attitude  and  the  same  place  which  its 
predecessor  occupied.  The  general  meaning  of  all  the  rest 
of.  the  proverbs  here,  will  be  obvious  to  every  intelligent 
reader. 

In  No.  39,  will  slip  up  is  the  literal  meaning  of  the  Ara 
bic  ;  we  might  give  the  secondary  meaning  of  the  Arabic 
verb,  viz.,  will  err.  But  the  other  is  more  graphic.  This 


113  §  17.   ARABIC  PROVERBS. 

corresponds  well  in  sentiment  with  Ecc.  5:3,  "A  fool's 
voice  is  known  by  the  multitude  of  words ; "  and  also  to 
5:7,  "  Many  words  are  vanities."  It  is  evident  at  first 
sight,  that  the  same  sentiment  for  substance  is  common  to 
all  these  declarations. 

It  will  not  escape  the  notice  of  the  considerate  reader, 
how  often  the  Oriental  proneness  to  comparison  and  meta 
phor,  manifests  itself  in  these  very  brief  maxims.  Let  him 
cast  his  eye  over  Nos.  7,  36,  46,  76,  87,  89,  91,  92,  93,  94. 
No.  71  is  very  striking:  "The  world  is  a  carcase;  and  they 
who  .seek  it,  are  dogs."  There  is  a  kind  of  playful  but  cut 
ting  sarcasm  in  this ;  and  above  all,  when  we  consider  the 
full  tropical  import  of  the  word  dogs.  The  like  says  Paul : 
"  Beware  of  dogs"  Phil.  3:2;  and  also  John,  Rev.  22 :  15, 
"  Without  are  dogs" 

Every  one  must  be  struck,  moreover,  with  some  surprise, 
at  the  numerous  maxims  that  are  here  found,  which  corre 
spond  altogether  in  spirit,  and  some  of  them  even  in  diction, 
with  what  is  said  in  the  Scriptures.  Let  him  compare  Nos. 
1,  20,  21,  23,  24,  25,  32,  39,  42,  54,  66,  75,  83,  87,  90,  98, 
99,  100,  with  corresponding  declarations  of  the  Bible,  which 
he  may  easily  find ;  for  in  this  way  he  may  learn,  how  well 
the  morale  of  the  Scriptures  corresponds  with  the  conclusions 
of  sober  reason  and  conscience  in  the  breasts  of  even  the 
heathen,  when  somewhat  enlightened.  He  may  also  learn 
in  this  way,  that  Solomon  probably  adopted  many  of  the 
maxims  of  social  life  as  true,  and  gave  them  his  sanction, 
not  because  he  composed  them  de  novo,  but  because  they 
were  true. 

In  regard  to  the  parallelism,  (which  we  find  everywhere 
prevalent  in  the  proverbial  lore  of  the  Hebrews),  we  find  it 
in  Arabic  but  seldom ;  and  even  then  it  seems  rather  to  be 
accidental  than  expressly  designed.  Most  of  the  Arabic  prov 
erbs,  moreover,  are  very  short,  as  well  as  pithy.  Yet  we  now 
and  then  meet  with  a  protracted  one.  like  some  of  the  long 


§  17.   ARABIC  PROVERBS.  119 

ones  in  the  latter  part  of  the  book  of  Proverbs ;  No.  53 
above  affords  an  example.  In  No.  70  of  Erpenius,  we  have 
another  specimen  :  "  A  fool  is  known  by  six  properties  ;  that 
he  is  angry  without  reason ;  that  he  speaks  useless  things  ; 
that  he  trusts  every  and  any  one ;  that  he  changes  when 
there  is  no  reason  for  change ;  that  he  seeks  what  does  not 
belong  to  him  ;  and  that  he  does  not  distinguish  his  friend 
from  his  enemy."  But  the  like  to  these,  as  to  length,  very 
seldom  occurs. 

One  other  circumstance  will  cast  some  light  on  the 
frequent  occurrence  of  two  things^  three  things,  and  four 
things,  (which  seem  at  first  view  so  strange),  in  Prov.  xxx. 
In  the  Centuria  of  Erpenius,  Nos.  35,  44,  give  us  specimens 
of  twos;  Nos.  50,  53,  80,  of  threes ;  and  No.  70  above,  of 
six.  Both  these  and  Proverbs  xxx.,  taken  together,  and 
compared  with  Amos  i.  ii.,  will  show  how  deeply  such  modes 
of  expression  have  been  engraved  on  the  Oriental  mind 
and  discourse. 

Finally,  I  cannot  refrain  from  the  remark  that,  in  a  mere 
aesthetical  point  of  view,  the  Hebrew  proverbs  are,  for  the 
most  part,  altogether  superior  to  the  Arabic.  There  is  more 
point,  vivacity,  and  energy  in  most  of  them.  Yet  some  of 
the  Arabic  gnomes  are  very  striking.  But  if  we  go  from 
the  aesthetical  ground  to  the  moral  and  religious  one,  com 
parison  can  hardly  be  made  between  them.  The  social 
morale  of  the  Arabic  is  good ;  but  the  higher  considerations 
of  accountability  to  God  and  retribution,  of  our  relations  to 
God,  and  of  our  duties  which  grow  out  of  these,  stand  in 
high  relief  on  the  Hebrew  picture,  and  only  in  the  back 
ground  in  the  Arabic  one.  Others  may  impute  this  to  what 
natural  causes  they  see  fit ;  but  my  persuasion  is,  that  it 
comes  by  reason  of  special  divine  illumination  upon  the 
minds  of  the  Hebrews. 

For  the  rest ;  the  proverbs  of  the  Arabians  are  exceedingly 
numerous.  The  Extracts  (Pars)  from  Meidani,  by  H.  A. 


120  §  18.   GREEK  PROVERBS. 

Schultens  (Lug.  Bat.  1795),  consist  of  four  hundred  and 
fifty-four  proverbs  ;  and  there  are  several  other  and  much 
larger  collections  besides  this.  Most  of  these  have  an  historical 
basis,  instead  of  a  generic  and  abstract  meaning.  The  like 
of  this  we  sometimes  find  in  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  ;  e.  g. 
"  Is  Saul  also  among  the  prophets  ?  "  1  Sam.  10:11.  19  :  24, 
and  the  like  in  other  places.  We  find,  in  Meidani,  that  the 
great  mass  is  of  the  following  type  :  "  More  avaricious  than 
Madara ; "  "  More  pious  than  Amallas  ;  "  "  Colder  than  the 
north  wind  —  than  ice  —  than  hail  —  than  the  day  after  the 
rain  ; "  "  Farther  off  than  the  vulture's  eggs  —  than  the  stars 
—  than  the  Pleiades ;"  "More  odious  than  the  visage  of  sellers 
in  a  dull  market ;  "  "  More  arrogant  than  Thakis  ; "  "  More 
liberal  than  Hatern."  With  these  and  the  like  are  intermin 
gled  now  and  then  a  preceptive  or  didactic  gnome  which  is 
of  a  generic  tenor. 

Every  one  sees  at  once,  therefore,  that  the  gist  of  the  great 
mass  of  Arabic  proverbs,  can  be  gathered  only  by  a  knowl 
edge  of  particular  persons,  things,  and  places.  Not  so  with 
the  Hebrews.  Doubtless,  however,  the  Hebrew  people  had 
in  general  circulation  many  such  proverbs  as  the  Arabic 
presents  ;  yet  only  a  few  of  these  have  been  committed  to 
writing  in  the  Sacred  Records. 

§  18.  Specimens  of  Greek  Proverbs. 

These  might  be  found  in  their  highest  perfection,  in  the 
writings  of  Plato  and  Xenophon  which  exhibit  the  conversa 
tions  of  Socrates,  who  abounded  in  maxims.  They  might 
be  found,  in  great  abundance,  in  a  didactico-poetic  form  in 
the  choruses  of  the  Greek  Tragedies,  i.  e.  in  the  works  of 
Aeschylus,  Euripides,  and  Sophocles.  Above  all,  is  Aeschy 
lus  the  distinguished  religious  and  moral  poet  of  the  Greeks. 
The  lofty  form  given  to  moral  maxims,  in  the  exquisite 
choruses  which  display  the  highest  talent  of  the  poets,  would, 


§  18.    GREEK  PROVERBS.  121 

in  an  aesthetic  point  of  view,  make  them  to  compete  with  the 
Hebrew  poetic  gnomes.  From  Plutarch,  from  Epictetus, 
and  others,  a  large  accession  to  these  stores  might  be  selected. 
But  it  would  lead  me  too  far  away,  should  I  pursue  this 
method  of  illustration ;  and  it  would  also  detain  the  reader 
longer  than  he  would  wish,  should  we  attempt  to  travel  over 
this  ground.  I  shall  content  myself,  therefore,  with  a  brief 
selection,  from  the  sayings  of  some  of  the  Greek  poets,  who  are 
styled  Gnomici  Poetae  Graeci.  I  use  the  edition  of  Brunck, 
18mo.  1784. 

Theognis  (fl.  549  B.  c.)  thus  expresses  himself:  — 

(1 )  The  sun  looks  clown  on  no  man  now  living,  who  is  entirely  good 
and  temperate. 

(2)  All   things  do  not  take  place  in  accordance  with  the  earnest 
wishes  of  men,  for  the  immortals  are  much  better  than  mortals,  (ib.) 

(3)  Everyone  honoreth  the  rich,  and  dishonored!  the  poor;  yet 
there  is  the  same  mind  in  all.     [All  men  have  the  same  or  the  like 
intelligent  spirit ;  and  so,  in  this  respect,  all  men  are  equal.] 

(4)  There  arc  all  kinds  of  bad  dispositions  in  men,  and  all  kinds  of 
virtuous  ones,  and  of  contrivances  for  livelihood. 

(5)  It  is  a  base  thing,  that  a  drunken  man  should  consort  with  sober 
ones  ;  and  a  base  thing,  if  a  sober  man  abide  with  drunkards,  p.  27. 

(6)  Youth  and  early  life  render  a  man  light-minded  ;  yea,  they  rob 
many  of  their  minds  even  to  distraction,  (ib.) 

( 7 )  Take  counsel  twice  and  thrice,  as  to  whatever  may  come  into 
thy  mind,  for  a  hasty  man  is  a  doomed  one. 

(8)  Knowledge  and  modesty  follow  the  good;  not  indeed  the  mul 
titude,  but  certainly  the  few. 

(9)  Hope  and  danger  among  men   are  alike,  for  they  are  both 
troublesome  demons. 

(10)  Swear  not  that  this  thing  shall  not  be,  for  the  gods  will  con 
trol,  to  whom  belongeth  the  end,  (p.  26,  scq.) 

My  next  extract  is  from  the  remains  of  Solon,  (a  contem 
porary  of  Theognis),  the  famous  Athenian  legislator ;  Brunck, 
ut  sup.  p.  73. 

(11)  He  is  a  happy  man,  who  hath  beloved  children,  horses  whose 
hoofs  are  uncloven,  and  hounds  of  the  chase,  and  a  stranger-guest. 

11 


122  §  18.   GREEK  PROVERBS. 

(12)  No  mortal  is  entirely  happy,  hut  all  arc  subject  to  distress,  even 
all  the  mortals  on  whom  the  sun  looks  down,  p.  76. 

(13)  In  great  doings,  it  is  difficult  to  chime  in  with  all. 

(14)  I  am  becoming  old,  but  I  am  always  learning  many  things. 

(15)  The  mind  of  the  immortals  is  always  hidden  from  men. 

(16)  Satiety  brecdeth  contempt,  even  when  much  pleasure followeth. 
[Things  luscious  speedily  produce  disgust]. 

(17)  By  the  help  of  the  gods  I  have  accomplished  things  unhoped 
for;  and  at  the  same  time,  no  work  is  in  vain.  p.  84. 

The  next  following  extracts  are  from  Simonides,  a  con 
temporary  of  both  the  preceding  writers,  Brunck,  ut  sup.  p. 
99,  seq. 

(18)  A  man  can  obtain  nothing  better  than  a  good  wife,  and  nothing 
more  horrible  than  a  bad  one. 

(19)  No  one  is  altogether  faultless  or  harmless,  p.  100. 

(20)  We  should  not  think  of  one  who  is  dead,  (if  we  think  at  all), 
more  than  one  day.     [It  is  useless  to  protract  grief,  when  there  is  no 
remedy  for  the  evil  suffered]. 

(21)  Death  overtakes  him  who  shuns  the  contest. 

(22)  Being  but  a  man,  say  not  what  shall  be  ;  nor,  seeing  a  man, 
how  long  he  shall  be ;  for  swifter  than  the  swift-winged  fly,  is  our 
change  of  condition. 

(23)  Our  season  of  living  is  short ;  but  when  a  mortal  man  is  once 
laid  under  the  ground,  he  lieth  forever. 

(24)  Zeus  only  hath  a  cure  for  all  things. 

From  the  Works  and  Days,  usually  attributed  to  Hesiod, 
a  contemporary  of  Homer,  are  selected  the  following 
maxims :  — 

(25)  Whoever  ventureth  to  strive  with  rulers,  wanteth  understand 
ing,  and   undcrgocth  reproach  and   sufferings  Avithout  the  hope  of 
victory. 

(26)  Jupiter  hath  given  this  law  to  mortals:  for  a  beast  becometh 
food  for  beast,  and  a  fish  for  fishes,  and  a  bird  for  birds,  because  they 
are  restrained  by  no  sense  of  right ;  but  the  better  light  of  justice  is 
given  to  men. 

(27)  He  descrvcth  the  wrath  of  the  gods  and  the  hatred  of  men, 
who    livcth  without  activity;    like  a    stingless    (Irene,  the  sluggard 
consumeth  what  hath  been  gathered  by  the  labor  |;>f  others],  p.  180. 


§  18.     GliEEK    PllOVERBS.  123 

(28)  Shamefacedness  often  maketh  men  poor ;  confidence  rendereth 
tlicm  ricli ;  that  which  is  given  of  the  gods,  and  is  not  acquired  by 
plunder,  is  the  hotter  possession. 

(29)  When  prepared,  do  not  put  off  a  tiling  until  to-morrow  and 
to-morrow;  he  who  procrastinateth  provoketh  losses  to  his  sorrow. 

(30)  Silver  is  a  second  life  to  sonic  pitiable  mortals. 

(.31)  Time  is  to  a  man  sometimes  a  mother,  and  sometimes  a  step 
mother,  p.  182. 

The  next  extracts  are  taken  from  relics  of  the  Greek 
comic  poet,  Menander,  p.  191 ;  (fl.  300  B.  c.) 

(32)  Peace  nourishcth  well  the  husbandman,  although  among  the 
rocks  ;  but  war  badly,  even  in  the  plain. 

(33)  A  daughter   marriageable,  if  she   say  nothing,  by  her  very 
silence  saith  much  respecting  herself. 

(34)  I  have  never  envied  the  dead,  who  is  expensively  buried ;  for 
he  comcth  to  a  house  which  is  the  same  as  that  of  him  who  is  buried 
without  expense. 

(35)  Do  not  find  fault  if  I  speak,  although  I  am  young;  specially 
do  not  blame  me,  if  I  speak  the  words  of  reflecting  men. 

(36)  He  who  is  severe  toward  his  son  in  the  way  of  admonition,  is 
bitter  indeed  in  his  words,  but  paternal  in  his  deeds. 

(37)  It  is  not  easy  to  check  a  weighty  stone  hurled  from  the  hand; 
and  so,  with  a  word  from  the  tongue. 

(38)  He  is  the  most  powerful  man,  who  best  knoweth  how  to  do 
most  wrong  to  his  fellow-men. 

(39)  He  whose  body  is  diseased  hath  need  of  a  physician;  but  he 
who  is  diseased  in  soul  needeth  a  friend ;  for  a  kindly  word  is  an 
expert  in  relieving  sorrow. 

(40)  When  one  deems  himself  to  have  a  mind  in  love,  he  will 
appear  to  another  as  having  no  mind. 

(41)  He  who  condemneth  before  hearing  openly,  the  same  is  a  bad 
man,  nurturing  an  evil  credulity. 

It  would  be  easy  to  make  many  remarks,  in  view  of  these 
proverbs,  on  the  state  of  society  which  they  disclose,  and  on 
the  difference  between  them  and  the  Arabian  gnomes.  But 
this  is  not  the  appropriate  place  for  commentary  at  large. 
I  advert  only  to  a  few  particulars  which  are  of  the  more 
striking  kind. 


124  §  18.    GREEK  PROVERBS. 

In  general,  the  morale,  so  far  as  it  goes,  is  good.  Even 
some  measure  of  religiosity  is  developed,  in  several  of  the 
maxims.  But  let  it  be  noted,  that  only  the  supremacy  or 
sovereignty  of  the  Deity  is  specially  brought  to  view.  How 
could  a  Greek,  who  in  any  measure  believed  in  the  popular 
mythology,  regard  the  gods  as  either  holy,  or  just,  or  good? 
With  him  we  find,  indeed,  a  disposition  toward  fear  and 
submission;  but  where,  in  heathen  proverbial  lore,  is  the 
precept  to  love  God,  and  hope  for  his  salvation  ?  And  inas 
much  as  God  is  love,  and  should  be  loved,  all  the  wisdom  of 
Greece  falls  short  of  teaching  the  main  thing  in  religion. 
To  teach  this  belongs  only  to  revelation.  Nos.  2, 10, 15,  and 
indirectly  22,  afford  a  specimen  of  the  Greek  theosophy. 
The  want  of  perfection  in  all  men,  is  exhibited  in  Nos.  1, 
19.  The  substantial  equality  of  men  is  taught,  in  Nos. 
3,  33.  Solon's  idea  of  a  happy  Athenian  gentleman  (sit 
venia!)  is  strikingly  exhibited  in  No.  11.  One  portion  of 
the  English  gentry  would  like  such  legislation  right  well. 

The  precepts  concerning  temperance,  sober  consideration, 
industry,  slander,  self-conceit,  and  the  like,  are  in  the  main 
pungent  and  much  to  the  point.  If  the  reader  will  look 
back  to  Nos.  9,  31,  32,  37,  39,  he  will  see,  that  a  striking 
acuteness  of  observation  and  power  of  expression  are  very 
manifest.  No.  37  vividly  illustrates  the  heroism  of  ancient, 
and  alas  !  of  modern  times  also.  No.  39  may  appear  some 
what  obscure,  at  first  view.  In  reality  it  expresses  only 
this  idea,  viz.,  that  a  man  desperately  in  love  often  acts  like 
a  fool ;  which,  we  may  well  believe,  is  as  true  now  as  it  was 
in  Menander's  time. 

On  the  whole,  if  we  compare  these  proverbs  with  our 
present  book  of  Proverbs,  where  the  same  subjects  (at  least 
in  part)  are  touched  upon,  we  shall  see,  that  the  Hebrew 
gnomes  are  graver,  and  withal  have  a  stronger  grasp. 
Above  all,  religious  principle,  the  love  of  God  and  the  love 
of  man,  and  the  doctrine  of  accountability  and  of  future 


§  18.    GREEK  PROVERBS.  125 

retribution,  are  manifestly  lacking  in  the  Greek  proverbs. 
And  although  some  of  these  topics  are  touched  upon  in  the 
Memorabilia  of  Socrates,  for  example,  and  some  good 
things  are  said  there,  and  also  by  Plutarch,  yet  the  God  of 
the  Bible  is  so  immeasurably  different  from  the  gods  of  the 
Greeks,  (even  their  speculative  ones),  that  it  were  irrational 
to  expect  from  them  a  Hebrew  theology.  As  Jehovah  was 
not  known  to  the  Greeks,  so  they  could  form  no  appropriate 
precepts  respecting  his  worship. 

In  the  mean  time,  if  any  one  will  compare  the  proverbs 
of  the  Greeks  Avith  those  of  the  Arabians,  he-  will  easily 
see,  that  each  class  is  stamped  with  peculiar  national  char 
acteristics.  We  can  only  refer  here  to  one  example.  No. 
19  of  the  Arabic  gnomes  says,  that  "if  all  men  were  wise, 
the  world  would  be  depopulated,"  i.  e.  all  wise  men  will 
abstain  from  sexual  connections;  while  No.  18  of  the  Greek 
proverbs  says,  that  "  a  man  can  obtain  nothing  better  than 
a  good  wife,  and  nothing  worse  than  a  bad  one."  The 
Arabians  have  always  held  females  in  comparative  con 
tempt,  except  just  at  that  season  of  life  which  is  appropri 
ate  for  writing  love-songs.  Accordingly,  Mohammed,  as 
most  have  understood  him,  excludes  women  from  heaven ; 
for  he  supplies  a  new  genus  of  women,  viz.,  the  Houris,  for 
the  use  of  his  followers  in  Paradise.  The  Greeks  divided 
their  divinities,  higher  and  lower,  into  male  and  female,  — 
an  idea  which  partakes  of  the  impracticable  to  an  inhabitant 
of  hither  Asia,  tinctured  with  Asiatic  notions.  Hence  the 
Arabian  readily  utters  sarcasms  in  earnest  on  women,  where 
the  Greek  would  only  playfully  utter  them.  Culture  made 
a  great  difference  between  the  two  nations ;  Disciplina 
emollit  mores. 

How  different   are  the  views  disclosed  by  the  Hebrew 
Proverbs !     Father  and  mother  are  put  on  the  same  level  in 
relation  to  their  children.     Eternal  Wisdom  is  personified 
by  a,  female,  in  order  to  represent  her  as  attractive  and  per 
il* 


126  §  19.  USE  OF  THE  BOOK. 

suasive.  The  marriage  vow  must  be  sacredly  kept,  Prov. 
5  :  15 — 23.  Wise  women  build  up  their  houses,  14:  1.  A 
good  wife  is  a  great  treasure,  18:  22.  Yet  the  vices  of 
women  are  not  overlooked,  2:16,  seq.  5  :  3,  seq.  6 :  24,  seq. 
7:  5,  seq.  The  book,  moreover,  concludes  with  a  delightful 
song,  in  praise  of  virtuous  and  energetic  women.  All  this 
shows  a  state  of  society,  and  of  moral  and  social  feeling,  far 
in  advance  of  that  which  existed  among  the  Arabians  and 
the  Greeks. 

One  striking  feature  in  the  style  of  the  Greek  proverbs 
is,  that  there  is  nothing  more  than  merely  accidental,  but 
never  designed,  parallelism  in  them.  Even  in  poetry,  (and 
I  have  quoted  only  such),  this  characteristic  is  wanting. 
The  Greek  poetry  demanded  not  parallelism,  but  measure, 
i.  e.  artificial  arrangement  of  long  and  short  syllables  ;  the 
Hebrew  demanded  no  regular  measure  of  syllables  long 
and  short,  but  parallelism  and  a  kind  of  rythm  among  the 
clauses  thereof.  So  much  do  education,  state  of  society, 
country,  and  different  occupations  and  usages,  affect  the 
tenor  of  any  nation's  thoughts  and  their  modes  of  expres 
sion. 

§  19.    Use  of  the  Booh  of  Proverbs. 

We  do  not  resort,  at  the  present  day,  to  this  book,  with 
the  expectation  of  finding  Christian  instruction  in  it,  which 
is  of  a  higher  and  peculiar  evangelical  nature.  Its  homilies, 
if  we  may  so  speak,  are  not  on  points  of  doctrine,  but  on 
those  of  moral,  social,  and  industrial  virtues.  Religion,  or 
reverencing  and  obeying  God,  is  indeed  often  and  everywhere 
a  subject  of  regard.  It  is  intermingled  with  all  our  social, 
relative,  and  personal  duties.  But  the  precepts  here  are 
generic.  They  are  such  as  we  might  expect  under  the  old 
Covenant,  and  are  not  entirely  in  the  manner  of  the  new. 
Still,  although  in  one  sense  the  Proverbs  are  not  a  part  of 
the  Gospel,  (in  its  limited  and  appropriate  sense),  yet  they 


§  19.   USE  OP  THE  BOOK.  127 

prescribe  in  morals,  manners,  and  social  and  relative  duties, 
the  same  things  for  substance  which  the  Gospel,  in  its  fuller 
and  enlarged  sense,  requires.  We  may  now  employ  them 
for  a  highly  important  purpose,  viz.  to  inculcate  justice,  pru 
dence,  temperance,  chastity,  industry,  and  in  a  word,  all  the 
duties  usually  denominated  either  moral,  social,  or  industrial ; 
and  also  reverence  for  God,  and  for  his  commandments. 

It  may  in  truth  be  said  of  the  book  of  Proverbs,  that  it 
contains  the  essence  of  what  might  be  expanded  into  hun 
dreds  of  discourses,  on  things  religiously,  socially,  and 
morally  important.  The  advantage  it  possesses  over  homi 
lies  on  the  virtues,  is  this,  viz.,  that  what  is  widely  expanded 
in  the  latter,  is  concentrated  in  the  former,  and  only  the 
essence  of  the  thing  in  question  is  expressed.  Consequently, 
it  makes  a  deep  impression  ;  and  this  causes  the  impression 
to  be  lasting.  A  brief  and  pithy  aphorism  is  remembered 
easier  and  longer  than  an  expanded  discourse.  It  is  on  this 
ground,  that  the  book  before  us  holds  a  high  place  among 
didactic  books.  It  is  a  general  regulative  of  every  one's 
active  life  and  social  demeanor.  And  it  contains  matter  far 
more  grave  and  important,  than  any  or  all  of  the  books  on 
morals,  which  have  ever  been  composed  by  those  who  were 
destitute  of  the  light  of  revelation. 

We  have  many  and  excellent  moral  and  religious  precepts 
in  the  New  Testament ;  and  most  of  them  in  a  form  which 
is  not  to  be  bettered.  But  the  book  of  Proverbs  touches 
many  points  not  fully  developed  in  the  New  Testament,  and 
assists  greatly  in  guiding  the  simple  into  the  way  of  wisdom. 
Besides,  it  is  pleasing  to  find,  that  so  much  of  the  book  of 
Proverbs  is  available  for  us  at  the  present  time.  As  the 
gnomes  here  are  never  dependent  on  individual  facts,  or 
individual  history,  it  is  very  plain  that  they  must  convey 
general  precepts  and  doctrines,  which  are  not  dependent  on 
specific  time  or  mere  individuality.  Now  as  man  is  essen 
tially  the  same  being  in  all  times  and  countries,  there  are 


128  §  20.   PECULIARITIES  OF  EXEGESIS. 

certain  rules  or  principles,  which  have  respect  to  his  con 
duct,  that  are  always  applicable.  From  the  very  nature  of 
the  book  of  Proverbs,  its  use  is  not  limited  to  any  age  or 
nation.  In  reading  the  Pent.,  we  mid  many  laws  and  pre 
scriptions,  which  were  designed  to  be  temporary  and  local ; 
and  which,  therefore,  have  now  only  an  indirect  relation  to 
us.  Not  so  in  the  book  before  us.  There  is  very  little  in 
it,  which  does  not  apply  to  us  at  present,  as  really  and  truly 
as  to  the  Hebrews.  Of  course,  we  can  avail  ourselves  of 
it  as  a  practical  Vade  mecum,  in  all  the  various  conditions 
and  circumstances  of  life,  because  we  can  draw  from  it 
that  practical  advice  which  we  need. 

The  value  of  such  a  book,  couched  in  such  brief,  and 
pithy,  and  pungent  language,  and  containing  so  much  sound 
wisdom  and  practical  judgment  respecting  the  various  affairs 
of  life,  is,  and  must  ever  continue  to  be,  very  great.  Its 
usefulness  will  cease,  only  when  men  cease  to  live  and  act 
as  men,  in  all  their  mutual  relations  and  dependencies. 


§  20.   Peculiarities  of  Exegesis  appropriate  to  the  Book. 

On  this  subject,  much  cannot  be  said  here.  As  a  book  on 
Hermeneutics  is  no  part  of  our  present  task  or  design,  we 
shall  take  for  granted  all  the  great  principles  of  historico- 
philological  exegesis,  and  merely  make  a  few  remarks,  on 
some  peculiarity  in  the  application  of  them  to  the  present 
book. 

This  peculiarity  arises  from  the  fact,  that  the  language  of 
the  book  is  so  compressed,  brief,  pointed,  and  strong.  There 
is  scarcely  any  book  which  calls  upon  us  so  often  to  apply 
the  golden  mean  between  literality  on  the  one  hand,  and 
flimsy  and  diffuse  generality  on  the  other.  A  multitude  of 
the  gnomes  would  be  absurd,  in  case  they  were  to  be  liter 
ally  interpreted.  Some  of  them  would  be  contradictory ; 
e.  g.  "  Answer  a  fool  according  to  his  folly ; "  and  again, 


§  20.  PECULIARITIES  OF  EXEGESIS.  120 

"  Answer  not  a  fool  according  to  his  folly."  Both  of  these 
are  right  and  proper  advice,  in  their  connections,  and  for 
reasons  which  the  context  brings  to  view.  And  so  of  other 
gnomes.  But  the  principal  thing  in  the  present  case  is, 
that  the  strong  and  pointed  language,  so  often  employed  in 
order  to  make  the  sentiment  impressive,  demands  almost 
everywhere  a  degree  of  modification  or  tempering.  So  is  it 
with  most  of  the  proverbs,  which  we  employ  in  every-day 
life.  Strong  and  pointed  expression  must  often  be  put  to 
the  account  of  a  design  to  make  a  deep  impression  ;  but 
precision  and  exactness  of  sentiment  must  be  made  out  by 
aid  of  the  context,  (if  there  be  any  which  stands  connected, 
for  often  there  is  none,  i.  e.  the  gnome  is  entirely  indepen 
dent),  by  reasoning  from  the  nature  of  the  case,  and  by 
comparison  with  similar  declarations. 

Sometimes  the  modification  in  question  has  respect  to  the 
intensity  of  the  language,  and  sometimes  to  its  tropical 
nature.  For  example :  "  When  a  man's  ways  please  the 
Lord,  he  maketh  even  his  enemies  to  be  at  peace  with  him," 
Prov.  1G:  7.  Is  this  a  universal  truth?  It  stands  in  the 
form  of  one ;  yet  apostles,  martyrs,  eminent  Christians  in 
all  ages,  have  often  found  their  enemies  very  far  from  being 
peaceful  toward  them. 

So  16  :  10.  "A  divine  sentence  is  in  the  lips  of  the  king; 
his  mouth  transgresseth  not  in  judgment."  And  do  all 
kings  pass  sentence  in  this  way  ?  Do  kings'  mouths  never 
transgress  in  judgment  ?  In  this  case,  plainly,  that  which 
ought  to  be  is  described,  rather  than  that  which  actually  is, 
although  the  form  of  the  sentence  is  a  simple  and  seemingly 
universal  assertion. 

So  16:  13.  "Righteous  lips  are  the  delight  of  kings,  and 
they  love  him  who  speaketh  right."  And  are  there  no 
kings,  then,  who  love  flattery,  and  therefore  love  lying  lips  ? 
And  do  all  kings  love  those  who  speak  that  which  is  right  ? 
So  when  the  writer  says :  "  Pleasant  words  are  . . .  sweet 


130  §  20.    PECULIARITIES  OF  EXEGESIS. 

to  the  soul,  and  health  to  the  bones,"  (Prov.  16 :  24)  ;  can 
there  be  any  other  valuable  meaning  here  than  a  tropical 
one?  Again,  Prov.  16:  27,  "  An  ungodly  man  diggeth  up 
evil,  and  in  his  lips  is  a  burning  fire."  This  is  plainly 
tropical.  But  since  didactic  poetry  does  not  admit  of  the 
figurative,  in  like  manner  and  measure  as  that  which  is 
descriptive  and  devotional,  we  seldom  find  any  difficulty  in 
Proverbs  on  the  score  of  tropical  language ;  or  if  we  do, 
the  solution  is  usually  at  hand.  What  is  generally  true 
elsewhere,  in  regard  to  tropical  language,  may  be  so  consid 
ered  here.  The  usual  rules  which  are  -  prescribed,  are 
adequate  for  the  occasion. 

In  respect,  however,  to  intensity  of  affirmation,  it  is  obvi 
ous  that  we  must  often  meet  with  it  in  this  book.  The  bare 
attempt  to  explain  the  meaning  of  many  gnomes,  without 
any  modification  of  the  language  exhibited  in  the  assertion, 
would  be  wholly  fruitless.  The  result  indeed  of  a  literal 
exegesis  would,  in  many  cases,  be  a  downright  untruth. 

When  I  speak,  as  in  the  title  to  this  Section,  of  peculiari 
ties  in  the  exegesis  of  the  Proverbs,  I  wish  to  be  understood 
that  this  pertains  only  to  the  frequency  of  the  modifications 
to  be  made,  and  not  to  the  mere  fact  itself  of  modification. 
There  is  scarcely  any  part  of  the  Bible  which  is  doctrinal 
and  didactic,  where  the  very  same  phenomena  are  not  found, 
and  where  the  same  solution  is  not  called  for.  But  it  must 
be  obvious  to  every  intelligent  reader,  that  when  sentiment 
is  to  be  conveyed  in  the  briefest,  the  most  compressed,  and 
the  most  animated  and  energetic  method  possible,  it  must 
assume  many  prominent  and  (so  to  speak)  sharp  corners 
and  edges,  which  will  cut  even  too  deep,  unless  the  inter 
preter  understands  how  to  mediate  between  the  form  of 
expression  and  the  real  sentiment  of  it. 

Indeed,  of  all  the  books  in  the  world,  I  should  say  the 
Bible  is  preeminently  the  one,  which  appeals  most  often  to 
common  sense  and  sound  judgment,  in  order  to  be  interpreted. 


§  20.   PECULIARITIES  OF  EXEGESIS.  131 

To  the  common  sense  and  reason  of  mankind  is  it  all 
addressed  ;  and  were  it  not  for  these,  the  great  mass  of 
mankind  would  in  reality  have  no  Bible.  Any  rule  of 
exegesis  at  war  with  these,  is  ipso  facto  repealed.  Set 
common  sense,  moreover,  to  judge  of  the  meaning  of 
Scripture,  the  single  words  being  once  explained,  and  it 
will  rarely  miss  the  mark.  When  our  Saviour  says,  in  his 
Sermon  on  the  Mount :  "  Whosoever  shall  smite  thee  on  thy 
right  cheek,  turn  to  him  the  other  also  ;  And  if  any  man 
will  sue  thee  at  the  law  and  take  away  thy  coat,  let  him  have 
thy  cloak  also ;  And  whosoever  shall  compel  thee  to  go  a 
mile,  go  with  him  twain ; "  does  good  common  sense  ever 
misinterpret  this?  Matt.  5:39 — 41.  These  sayings  of 
our  Lord  are  unquestionably  proverbial  ones ;  and  they  are 
to  be  so  modified  in  expounding  them,  that  the  true  design 
of  the  speaker  may  be  bronght  out  of  them.  Just  so  in  the 
book  of  Proverbs  ;  for  there  are  many  proverbs  in  that 
book,  which  are  uttered  in  like  manner,  and  demand  the 
same  application  of  the  common-sense  rules  of  interpre 
tation. 

If  it  be  asked :  "  How  can  we  know  what  common  sense 
dictates  as  to  interpretation  ?  "  The  answer  is,  that  common 
sense,  and  that  only,  can  judge  for  itself;  and  if  we  are 
possessed  of  that,  we  need  not  be  much  at  a  loss  what  to  do. 
Without  it,  all  the  technical  rules  in  books  of  hermeneutics 
will  be  of  little  or  no  avail.  And  if  any  one  aver,  more 
over,  that  "  this  judge  is  fallible,  and  may  deceive  us,"  our 
answer  is,  so  is  man,  man  universal,  fallible.  But  still,  he 
can  trust  many  of  the  judgments  which  he  makes.  And 
so,  for  the  most  part,  he  can  confide  in  his  common  sense, 
respecting  this  or  that  method  of  interpretation. 

In  fact,  fallible  or  infallible,  it  is  the  highest  court  to 
which  we  can  make  an  appeal ;  for  enlightened  and 
religious  common  sense  constitutes  that  court.  If  these 
fail  us,  then  we  shall  not  be  able  to  find  any  higher  tribunal, 


132  §  20.   PECULIARITIES  OP  EXEGESIS. 

nor  any  further  resort,  in  times  of  deep  perplexity.  No 
mechanical  or  technical  rules  will  of  themselves  make  a 
good  interpreter.  The  idea  that  this  is  an  art,  learned  like 
one  of  the  arts  manual,  and  that  one  can  obtain  a  knowl 
edge  of  it  in  the  same  way  as  the  arts  in  general  are 
learned,  is  a  visionary  idea,  that  never  can  be  realized.  The 
study  and  knowledge  of  rules  may  ward  off  many  errors, 
and  correct  faults,  in  the  interpreter ;  but  the  positive  part 
of  his  duty  must  be  evermore  under  the  guidance  of  com 
mon  sense  and  sound  judgment.  All  the  acuteness  imagina 
ble  in  philology,  and  all  the  antiquarian  lore  which  any  one 
may  possess  or  acquire,  will  not  of  themselves  make  a  good 
interpreter.  They  may  very  much  assist  him.  They  may 
be  the  sails  even,  or  the  steam-moved  wheels  of  the  ship, 
but  it  depends  after  all  on  the  mind  of  the  man  who  steers 
that  ship,  whither  she  shall  go,-  and  where  she  shall  land. 
John  Calvin,  with  a  moderate  skill  in  the  Hebrew,  and  no 
very  distinct  and  accurate  perception  of  the  Hellenistic 
idiom  of  the  New  Testament,  was,  on  the  whole,  one  of  the 
most  able  commentators  we  have  hitherto  had.  Sound 
judgment,  perspicacity,  and  simplicity,  are  predicable  of 
him  in  an  unusual  degree. 

It  needs  such  qualities  as  have  been  described,  to  inter 
pret  well  the  book  of  Proverbs.  If  Calvin  has  sometimes 
failed  in  interpretation,  as  doubtless  he  has,  it  is  owing  more 
to  the  general  lack  of  information  in  philology  and  sacred 
antiquities,  at  the  period  in  which  he  lived,  than  to  any 
deficiency  in  his  own  powers  of  exegesis.  An  interpreter 
of  the  present  day  has  many  helps,  of  which  he  was 
destitute. 

On  the  whole,  no  one  should  object  to  the  book  of  Prov 
erbs,  that  its  language  often  needs  much  modification.  Nor 
can  he  well  doubt,  whether  common  sense  should  be  applied 
to  the  interpretation  of  proverbs.  The  very  fact,  that  most 
of  proverbial  lore  is  the  result  of  strong  conviction  and 


§  21.     EXEGETICAL    HELPS.  133 

concentrated  feeling,  expressed  in  language  that  corresponds, 
is  of  itself  significant  of  the  manner  in  which  we  are  to 
interpret.  Proverbs  are  to  be  regarded  as  proverbs,  i.  e.  as 
short,  pithy,  animated  sayings,  which  of  course  are  to  be 
interpreted  as  such.  Let  the  interpreter  of  them  beware, 
and  not  mistake  costume  for  person.  If  he  can  dexter 
ously  avoid  this,  he  may  hope  to  gain  a  satisfactory  knowl 
edge  of  the  book  before  us. 


§  21.   Exegetical  Helps. 

It  would  be  to  no  valuable  purpose  to  make  out  a  com 
plete  catalogue  of  these.  I  shall  mention  only  those,  which 
appear  to  me  to  be  of  the  more  valuable  class. 

P.  Melancthonis  Explicatio  Prov.,  1535.  It  is  needless 
to  say,  that  Melancthon  was  both  a  scholar  and  a  Christian. 

J.  Merceri  Comm.  in  Prov.  Solomonis,  1651,  edit.  2. 
Mercier  seldom  makes  trifling  or  irrelevant  remarks. 

Prov.  Salom.  a  M.  Geiero,  1725,  ed.  2,  a  specimen  of  the 
older  commentary,  and  of  the  manner  of  Geier. 

C.  B.  Michaelis,  Annott.  in  Prov.,  in  his  Uberior  Annott. 
in  Hagiographa,  1720,  4to.  A  sound  interpreter,  and  well 
skilled  in  the  Oriental  languages. 

Prov.  Salom.,  edit.  A.  Schultens,  1748,  in  compend.,  ed. 
G.  I.  L.  Yogel  et  Teller,  1769,  (the  best  edition).  Schul 
tens  has  everywhere  brought  Arabic  to  bear  upon  the  lan 
guage  of  Proverbs ;  and,  while  he  has  carried  this  to  great 
and  unwarrantable  excess,  he  has  still  furnished  many 
important  hints  to  the  interpreter. 

Umbreit,  Commentar  ii.  d.  Spruche,  1826  ;  a  book  which 
has  many  good  illustrations,  and  exhibits  much  diligence  and 
a  good  degree  of  learning. 

Besides  these,  Zicgler,  a  man  of  some  note,  has  given  a 
translation  of  the  book,  with  Remarks  (in  German),  1791. 
And  the  like  has  Muntinghe  done,  in  Dutch,  which  has  been 
12 


134  §21.     EXEGETICAL    HELPS. 

translated  into  German  by  Sclioll,  one  vol.  8vo.  1800.  Both 
of  these  writers  are  deserving  of  consultation ;  specially  the 
latter,  who  was  an  eminent  critic  and  theologian. 

There  are  some  essays  on  the  ancient  versions  of  Prov., 
which  deserve  attention,  in  I.  G.  Ja'ger,  Observatt.  in  Prov. 
Salom.,  1788;  also  in  Dahler,  on  the  Sept.  version  of  the 
book. 

The  most  critical  and  thorough  work  on  Proverbs,  although 
very  brief,  is  that  -of  Bertheau,  1847,  in  vol.  vii.  of  the  recent 
Exeget.  Handbuch  zum  Alt.  Test.  There  is  more  of  true 
philology  and  criticism  in  it,  than  in  all  the  commentaries 
which  preceded.  The  Neology  of  the  writer  is  scarcely 
apparent.  He  has  shown  in  general  much  candor-  and  great 
acuteness,  in  his  work ;  and  I  acknowledge  myself  specially 
indebted  to  him  for  many  good  hints.  I  have  sometimes 
differed  from  him  in  opinion;  but  I  have  assigned  my 
reasons  for  differing. 

There  is  also  a  recent  work  on  Proverbs,  by  C.  Bridges, 
of  England ;  but,  as  I  have  not  seen  it,  I  cannot  character 
ize  it.  The  older  work  of  Hodgson  on  the  Proverbs  seems 
not  to  have  excited  any  permanent  attention. 

The  leading  writers  of  an  homiletic  cast,  it  is  easy  for  the 
student  to  consult,  if  he  desires.  Henry,  Scott,  Adam 
Clarke,  and  others,  have  in  substance  preached  very  many 
sermons  on  the  book  of  Proverbs,  and  not  a  few  good  ones. 
The  aim  of  the  Commentary  which  follows,  is  simply  to 
develop  the  meaning  of  the  Hebrew  text.  This  once 
attained,  every  preacher  of  the  Gospel  ought,  at  least,  to  be 
able  to  make  out  his  own  deductions,  and  to  construct  his 
own  homilies.  If  he  needs  aid  of  this  sort,  any  of  the  com 
mentaries  just  mentioned  above  will  supply  it. 


COMMENTARY. 


PART  I.  CHAP.  I.  1—7. 

[The  first  seven  verses  are  a  general  introduction  to  the  whole  book. 
Yet  the  whole  book  came  not  originally  from  one  and  the  same  hand. 
As  is  shown  in  the  Introduction  to  this  work,  other  writers  besides 
Solomon  (jomposed  some  minor  parts  of  it,  vix.  22:  17 — 24:  34,  and 
xxx.  xxxi.  The  original  authorship  of  a  part  of  the  first  nine  chapters 
is,  as  the  Introduction  shows,  not  quite  certain.  There  is  no  specific 
assertion,  to  say  the  least,  of  Solomon's  authorship,  in  regard  to  these 
chapters.  The  title  in  1:  1  belongs,  as  a  general  characteristic  designa 
tion,  to  the  whole  book ;  and  this  professedly  contains  not  only  Sol 
omon's  writings,  but  also  " the  words  of  the  ivise"  v.  6.  Because  the 
book  consists  mainly  of  Solomon's  Proverbs,  it  is  significantly  named 
after  him :  just  as  we  often  speak  of  the  Psalms  of  David,  when  we 
intend  to  designate  in  a  generic  way  the  whole  collection.  Of  course, 
then,  if  this  be  conceded,  we  have  no  other  means  of  deciding  the 
question  of  authorship,  in  respect  to  chaps,  i — ix..  than  the  comparison 
of  the  style  with  that  of  x — xxii.  16,  which  we  know  to  have  been 
written  by  Solomon;  see  10:  1.  But  the  two  compositions  are  so  very 
different  in  their  tenor,  that  a  real  comparison  becomes  difficult,  and 
but  little,  if  any,  satisfaction  is  to  be  gained  from  it,  because  the  sub 
jects  are  so  unlike.  So  much  can  be  said,  however,  in  favor  of  the 
position  that  Solomon  wrote  the  first  part  of  the  book,  viz.  that  if  the 
compiler  of  the  book,  in  its  present  form,  did  not  mean  that  we  should 
attribute  it  to  that  king,  why  did  he  not  prefix  some  special  title,  in 
order  to  guard  against  it,  as  he  has  done  in  22  :  17.  25  :  1.  30 :  1.  31 :  1  ? 
But  let  the  authorship  of  chaps,  i — ix.  be  assigned  to  whomsoever  it, 
may,  it  alters  not  the  contents  of  the  piece  itself,  nor  the  nature  of  the 
general  introduction  in  1:  1 — 7,  which  evidently  is  appropriate  not 
only  to  the  first  part  of  the  book,  but  to  all  the  other  parts. 

V.  1  simply  gives  the  general  title.  V.  2  indicates,  in  a  general 
way,  the  object  or  design  of  the  book,  which  is  to  communicate 


136  PART  I— CHAP.  I.  1. 

instruction  as  to  wisdom,  and  to  teach  the  intelligent  discernment  of 
instructive  discourse.  In  vs.  3,  4,  more  particular  specifications  are 
made,  in  order  more  completely  to  unfold  the  general  ideas  of  v.  2. 
The  simple  and  inexperienced  may  learn,  by  what  this  book  contains, 
sober  considcrateness,  justice,  equity,  uprightness,  and  sagacity,  as  well 
as  acquire  skill  in  devising  plans  of  action.  In  vs.  5,  6,  the  attention 
of  even  the  wise  is  invited,  in  order  that  they  may  add  to  their  knowl 
edge  and  their  dexterity,  even  so  as  to  understand  proverbial  and 
pointed  sayings,  and  discern  the  true  meaning  of  what  the  wise 
utter  in  an  enigmatical  way.  V.  7  admonishes  the  reader  that  wisdom 
cannot  even  commence,  (much  less  be  completed),  without  the  fear  of 
God ;  and  that  only  fools  will  despise  the  instructions  of  wisdom. 

The  order  of  thought  stands  thus:  (1)  The  general  object  of  the 
book,  v.  2.  (2)  The  particular  things  to  be  taught,  and  the  persons 
•vvho  are  to  be  instructed  (vs.  3 — 6),  viz.  first,  the  young  and  unwary, 
and  then,  secondly,  even  the  wise  may,  by  the  things  developed  here, 
become  more  wise,  and  dexterous,  and  acute  in  discerning.  (3)  To  profit 
by  the  book,  without  a  reverence  for  God  at  the  outset,  will  be  expected 
in  vain  5  and  none  but  fools  will  despise  such  an  admonition.] 

(1)  The  Proverbs  of  Solomon,  son  of  David,  king  of  Jerusalem. 

The  Hebrew  word  ^do  is  of  wide  extent.  Its  original 
meaning  is  similitude;  and  hence  it  is  often  employed  to 
designate  compositions  which  abound  in  comparisons  and 
similitudes,  whether  they  be  prophecies,  or  consist  of  didactic 
matter,  or  of  pointed  irony  ;  (see  Lex.)  The  name  is  appro 
priated  mostly  to  discourse  written  in  parallelisms,  i.  e.  in 
the  forms  of  poetry  ;  for  in  such  discourse,  similitudes  are 
most  frequent.  Parable  the  word  V:ra  may  and  does  also 
designate,  as  Ezek.  17:  2.  24:3.  But  more  often  is  the 
word  applied,  as  in  the  present  case,  to  sententious  sayings, 
gnomes,  or  pointed  apothegms,  where  these  (as  usual)  are 
composed  in  parallelisms  or  couplets  ;  for  this  last  circum 
stance  shows,  that  the  idea  of  comparison  is  not  wholly  dis 
missed  even  in  this  particular  use  of  the  word.  The  running 
Hebrew  title  of  the  book  before  us  is  taken  from  the  word  now 
under  consideration,  *b'£'ft  (the  plur.  const,  form)  being  re 
tained,  while,  for  the  sake  of  brevity,  the  word  Frs'ViJ  in  the 


PART  I— CHAP.  I.  2.  137 

Gen.  is  omitted.  It  is  unnecessary,  however,  to  interpret 
this  generic  title-word  very  strictly  or  narrowly,  as  if  all  the 
book  consisted  merely  of  gnomes ;  for  it  is  plain,  from  the 
latitude  of  meaning  which  the  word  has,  as  explained  above, 
that  it  will  cover  all  the  ground  occupied  by  this  book. 
Solomon  is,  at  all  events,  the  principal,  if  not  the  only  author ; 
and  the  book  may,  therefore,  be  well  and  appropriately 
named  after  him. 

T^JB  in  this  case  refers  to  Solomon,  and  not  to  David 
The  two  last  words  are  in  apposition  with  the  two  preceding 
ones ;  and  each  of  these  two  clauses,  in  and  by  itself,  serves 
to  designate  Solomon  more  specifically.  —  Israel  is  here  the 
generic  appellation  (as  often)  of  all  the  descendants  of  Israel 
or  Jacob,  i!  e.  of  the  nation  en  masse. 

(2)  In  order  that  one  may  know  wisdom  and  instruction  that  one 
may  understand  the  words  of  the  intelligent. 

r,5^ ,  for  \ ,  see  §  100.  1.  c.  For  Inf.  r*"i  (from  ^),  see 
§  68.  3.  n.  1.  —  Wisdom  usually  means  here,  not  mere  saga 
city,  but  a  considerate  and  discerning  state  of  mind  in  regard 
to  the  whole  circle  of  duty,  moral,  religious,  and  prudential. 
—  Instruction,  ^G*ra ,  is  that  which  is  communicated  by 
teachers  to  the  younger  and  inexperienced.  The  first  mean 
ing  of  the  word  is  chastisement ;  then  discipline,  which  is 
administered  in  this  way ;  and  finally  (as  here)  instruction 
as  the  result ;  for  such  a  meaning  is  appropriate  here,  since 
it  is  descriptive  of  the  nature  of  the  good  to  be  obtained,  and 
of  the  method  of  obtaining  it.  The  implication  is,  that  the 
young  are  here  designated  as  one  class,  or  rather  as  the 
leading  class,  to  be  taught ;  and  this  corresponds  well  with 
v.  4.  Specially  in  chaps,  i — ix.  are  the  young  addressed. 

That  one  may  understand,  is  a  secondary  meaning  of  ""'Sfi , 
which  originally  designates   the  idea  of  separating,  distin 
guishing  ;  and  from  this  comes  the  secondary  meaning,  viz. 
to  gain  accurate  knowledge.     The  Hiphil  form  of  the  verb 
12* 


138  PART  I—  CHAP.  I.  3. 

seems  to  indicate  the  necessity  of  translating  thus  :  to  cause 
dne  to  understand.  But  the  Hiph.  of  "pa  often  has  a  Kal 
sense,  (see  Lex.  Hiph.  2)  ;  and  moreover  rs"i  ,  in  the  first 
clause,  is  in  Kal,  and  the  parallelism,  therefore,  demands  the 
Kal  sense  of  "psrt  ,  if  feasible,  as  in  fact  it  is.  —  I  have  ren 
dered  its'1  3  by  intelligent,  putting  the  concrete,  i.  e.  intelligent 
person,  for  the  abstract  intelligence.  That  I  have  given  the 
meaning  truly  is  plain  from  the  fact,  that  words  must  be 
spoken  or  written  by  persons,  and  not  by  an  abstraction. 
Such  cases  of  abstract  for  concrete,  occur  too  often  to  need 
any  argument  for  defence,  or  even  for  explanation  ;  see  under 
§  104.  2.  e.  g.  By  the  intelligent,  is  here  meant  persons  of 
superior  capacity  and  education,  to  understand  whose  writings, 
a  good  degree  of  intelligence  in  the  reader  is  necessary. 
The  design  of  the  book  before  us  is  to  assist  in  the  acquisition 
of  such  intelligence. 

(3)  That  one  may  receive  the  instruction  of  discreetness,  righteous 
ness  and  justice,  and  uprightness. 


tofi,  a  noun  of  Inf.  Hiph.  form,  (Ewald,  Gramm. 
§  156.  c.)  ;  meaning  considerate  and  discreet  counsel  or 
action.  What  youth  most  of  all  need,  is  discretion  or 
sobriety  ;  for  they  are  prone  to  act  with  much  ardor  and 
precipitation.  —  Righteousness  and  justice  and  uprightness 
are  so  near  to  each  other  in  respect  to  meaning,  that  they 
may  be  regarded  as  particulars  of  the  same  genus.  The 
design  in  accumulating  words  of  a  meaning  so  kindred,  is 
not  to  urge  any  nice  distinctions  between  these  virtues 
which  are  to  be  made  by  the  mind  of  the  reader,  but  simply 
to  bring  before  him  the  whole  domain  (so  to  speak)  of 
moral  propriety  and  fitness.  Strictly  considered,  p*i:s  means 
that  which  is  right  =  righteousness  ;  and  then  it  branches  off 
into  what  is  lawful,  what  is  due,  probity,  integrity  ;  and 
finally,  it  designates  the  result  of  these,  viz.,  liberation,  solus, 
and  also  happiness  or  prosperity  in  general  —  EBUJ^  has  its 


PART  I— CHAP.  I.  4.  139 

basis  in  the  idea  of  judgment,  viz.,  of  a  court,  and  then  (by 
consequence)  it  comes  to  mean  law,  or.  supreme  authority. 
It  naturally,  in  this  way,  designates  statute,  ordinance,  decree  ; 
and  finally,  whatever  is  in  accordance  with  these  =just, 
lawful.  In  accordance  with  the  last  meaning,  I  have  trans 
lated  it  by  justice.  This  does  not  mean  simply  justice  in 
our  dealings  between  man  and  man  ;  for  it  designates  a 
wider  sense  of  jus,  justum,  legitimum. —  t*Td^,  uprightness, 
the  plur.  form  being  used,  as  in  many  other  cases,  to  denote 
the  abstract  noun,  §  10G.  2.  a.  The  three  nouns  comprise 
whatever  is  right  and  proper,  conformed  to  law,  and  agreeable 
to  integrity.  They  cover  the  whole  ground  of  moral  action, 
both  as  it  regards  the  mutual  rights  of  men,  and  also  in 
regard  to  probity  of  mind.  These  virtues  lie  at  the  basis 
of  a  great  portion  of  the  book  of  Proverbs.  Some  of  the 
commentators  (Ewald,  de  Wette,  et  al.)  join  the  three  last 
nouns  of  the  verse  with  bsbin  (in  the  Gen.),  and  make  all 
the  four  nouns  to  be  Genitives  dependent  on  "ibsra,  and 
then  translate  thus :  the  instruction  of  discreetness,  of  righte 
ousness,  etc.  But  evidently,  the  verse  has  two  (and  but  two) 
parallel  members,  and  the  last  three  nouns  are  therefore  in 
the  Ace.,  being  governed  by  rnjs?  implied  in  the  sense  of 
acquiring,  and  mentally  transferred  from  the  beginning 
of  the  verse.  The  first  clause  the  Sept.  translates  thus : 
dt^cKj-O'ai  TS  GTQOCpag  hoycov,  vorjcai  rs  dixuiOGVvqv,  in 
which  they  make  teii'n  an  Inf.  verb,  and  separate  it  from 
its  proper  connection.  Of  course,  they  must  have  read 
-iGtts ,  i.  e.  they  took  the  noun  to  be  of  the  abs.  form,  and  not 
of  the  construct,  as  our  text  makes  it.  Not  so  the  Chald., 
Vulg.,  and  Syriac,  which  all  take  the  word  in  question  as 
a  verbal  noun. 

(4)  That  they  may  impart  sagacity  to  the  simple;  to  the  young, 
knowledge  and  reflection. 

nr& ,  Inf.  of  -jna  with  \ ,  §  65.  2.  n.  3.    I  take  it  to  be 


140  PART  I—  CHAP.  I.  5. 

coordinate  with  Fi^'b  in  v.  2,  and  to  stand  connected  with, 
*bvv  of  v.  1  ;  and  thus  we  have  :  Proverbs  .  .  .  in  order  to 
know,  etc.  ...  in  order  to  impart  or  that  they  may  impart,  etc. 
—  C^rab  ,  the  simple,  lit.  to  those  who  are  open  (root  nriQ  to 
open),  i.  e.  open  to  every  kind  of  impression  from  without, 
and  so,  not  being  wary  (D'lis),  they  are  easily  misled.  It  is 
also  written  D^ra  in  23  :  3,  and  a^r,3  in  1:  22,  the  sing,  being 
ins  ;  as  to  the  !*  in  the  first  form,  in  the  place  of  the  1  radi 
cal,  see  §  91.  vi.  6.  —  ^"^S  cunning,  either  in  the  good  or 
bad  sense  of  the  word.  In  Gen.  3:1,  the  serpent  is  called 
D^ns?  ,  subtle.  In  our  text,  the  cunning  is  taken  in  the  sense 
of  sagacity,  i.  e.  a  shrewdness  which  leads  to  the  apprehen 
sion  of  approaching  dangers  and  temptations,  and  suggests 
the  means  of  escaping  them.  This  is  what  the  fi^sra  have 
not.  —  To  this  latter  word  155  of  the  second  clause  corre 
sponds.  It  means  a  youngling,  one  who  of  course  has  not 
yet  come  to  the  period  of  i~rz*)3  •  —  i"^*"?  comes  from  a  root 
(C^t)  which  means  literally  to  bind  or  tie  together  ;  then 
figuratively,  to  meditate,  e.  g.  a  plot  or  plan.  In  the  first 
case,  viz.,  the  meaning  of  plot,  it  is  taken  in  malam  partem  ; 
and  more  usually  the  noun  tiffi?  means  wicked  device,  mis 
chievous  plot.  But  a  plan  may  be  either  for  good  or  bad  ; 
and  it  is  in  the  first  of  these  senses,  that  ftatEi  is  here  used. 
I  have  translated  by  reflection,  because  I  can  find  no  word 
that  comes  nearer  to  designate  the  thing  here  intended  ;  for 
reflection  indicates  a  continued  meditation  on  a  subject,  and 
carries  with  it  the  idea  of  sober  and  wary  determination. 
This  is  just  what  the  youngling  needs.  Knowledge  and 
reflection  are  important  ends  to  be  brought  about  by  reading 
the  book  before  us.  Sept.,  very  well  : 


(5)  Let  the  wise  man  listen,  and  he  will  add  to  his  learning,  and 
the  intelligent  one  will  acquire  skill  in  management. 

The  Imperf.  form,  2S'^  is  optative  or  voluntative  here, 
§  125.  3.  b.  —  E]t>lh;i  ,  is  to  be  taken  as  a  proper  or  ordinary 


PART  I—  CHAP.  I.  G.  141 

Put.  here,  for  the  Van  is  not  consecutive,  (comp.  48.  b.  2), 
and  the  accent  is  thrown  on  the  pewit  merely  because  the 
ultimate  is  followed  by  a  tone-syllable  in  the  next  word. 
Of  course  the  ?•?  —  of  the  ordinary  form,  by  losing  the 
accent  becomes  ?o  —  ,  §  29.  3.  b.  —  nj?b  is  what  one  receives, 
viz.,  from  a  teacher,  and  so  means  doctrine,  learning,  knowl 
edge,  root  n£b  to  tale  or  receive.  —  '^3  ,  Nipli.  Part,  adjective, 
intelligent,  i.  e.  one  endowed  with  the  power  of  discrimina 
tion,  from  "pS  to  discriminate.  —  ri"?2nn  ,  (2  for  to),  from  ^Qn 
rope,  especially  the  anchor-rope  or  the  helm-rope  ;  so  that 
guidance,  management,  is  a  derived  or  secondary  sense  ;  and 
the  shade  of  the  idea  is  expressed  in  the  version.  It  is  the 
plur.  of  abstraction,  §  10G.  2.  a.  Sentiment:  'Even  wise 
men  may  increase  their  knowledge  and  their  skill,  as  to 
controlling  various  matters,  by  the  reading  of  the  Proverbs? 

(6)  So  that  he  may  understand  a  proverb,  and  a  dark  saying,  —  the 
words  of  the  wise,  and  their  enigmas. 


"p^hb  is  not  a  continuance  or  resumption  of  the  Infinitives 
in  vs.  2  —  4,  but  it  connects  with  the  preceding  verse,  in  the 
way  of  exhibiting  the  consequences  of  attending  to  the 
Proverbs.  The  reader  of  this  book  may  be  able,  by  due 
attention,  not  only  to  understand  a  ^tzia  ,  i.  e.  figurative  or 
parabolic  speech,  but  even  such  words  as  constitute  a  iix*bv  , 
which  word  the  Seventy  have  well  translated  by  axoTStvbs 
Ao/oc,',  i.  e.  a  dark  saying,  one  that  needs  interpretation, 
(from  the  Iliph.  'pbn  ,  to  interpret).  —  Not  only  so,  but  he 
may  also  come  to  understand  even  the  enigmatical  words  of 
the  wise,  rn^n  comes  from  "!*n  ,  which  in  Arabic  means  to 
make  knots.  A  knotty  saying  (our  usage  admits  this  expres 
sion)  is  one  that  is  difficult  of  solution  or  interpretation  ;  a 
saying  that  is  pointed  and  shrewd,  but  wrapped  in  such  an 
envelop  as  demands  a  discriminating  intellect  to  develop 
and  understand  it.  In  both  clauses  I  take  the  1  to  be  that 
of  mere  accession,  §  152.  B.  2.  The  noun  following  the  1 


142  PART  I— CHAP.  I.  7. 

qualifies  the  preceding  noun,  by  characterizing  specifically 
the  nature  of  its  meaning.  Sentiment :  *  The  study  of  the 
Proverbs  will  render  a  wise  man  more  capable  of  under 
standing  the  apparently  obscure,  or  singular,  or  pointed 
sayings  of  the  wise.' 

(7)  The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning  of  knowledge-,  wisdom 
and  instruction  fools  despise. 

As  to  sentiment,  comp.  9:10.  Ps.  Ill:  10.  Sir.  1:  16,  25. 
The  first  Arabic  proverb,  in  the  collection  of  one  hundred 
proverbs  by  Erpenius  (in  his  Arab.  Gramm.)  runs  thus: 
"  The  beginning  of  wisdom  is  the  fear  of  God."  The  pre 
ceding  verses  (2 — 6}  having  shown  the  design  of  the  book, 
the  introduction  is  now  concluded  by  v.  7,  which  shows  what 
temper  of  mind  must  be  possessed  by  him,  who  means  to  be 
profited  through  the  reading  of  the  Proverbs.  —  Fear  of 
God  means :  Paying  him  reverential  awe  ;  it  does  not  desig 
nate  terror.  The  verse  declares,  that  not  even  a  beginning  of 
true  knowledge  can  be  made,  without  the  reverence  in  ques 
tion  ;  much  less  then  can  a  full  knowledge  be  gained  with 
out  it.  It  is  God  who  gives  wisdom  and  knowledge ;  as  is 
declared  in  2 :  6  below.  Wisdom  and  reverence  for  God 
are  inseparably  linked  together,  and  this  is  the  constant  doc 
trine  of  the  Old  Testament.  That  wisdom  (so  called),  which 
is  without  the  fear  of  God,  is  no  wisdom  ;  for  he  who  has  no 
knowledge  of  God,  cannot  be  wise,  but  is  a  fool,  comp.  Job 
5  :  3.  Strikingly  does  the  verse  before  us  accord  in  spirit 
with  the  words  of  the  Saviour :  "  If  any  man  will  do  his 
will,  he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine,  whether  it  be  of  God," 
John  7:  17. 

Wisdom  and  instruction  fools  despise,  i.  e.  none  but  fools 
will  despise  such  wisdom  and  instruction  as  are  here  prof 
fered.  All  w//o  fear  God  will  avoid  such  a  course.  The 
fool,  then,  as  here  characterized,  is  one  who  is  chargeable 
with  impiety.  —  c-biijt  comes  from  bix  to  be  foolish,  the  root 
having  a  1  movable. 


PART  I— CHAP.  I.  8. 

[Thus  ends  the  compiler's  introduction  to  the  book  of  Proverbs. 
It  exhibits,  (1)  The  title.  (2)  The  design  of  the  work,  vs.  2,  3. 
(3)  The  persons  are  specified  for  whom  it  is  designed,  and  the  benefit 
pointed  out  which  they  may  receive,  vs.  4 — G.  (-4)  The  subjective 
qualification  of  the  reader,  in  order  to  be  profited,  is  then  explicitly 
disclosed.  Every  verse  consists  of  two  parts  —  parallelisms;  and 
nearly  all  of  these  contain  tJiree  words.  Once,  in  v.  5,  we  have  Jour 
words  ;  and  twice,  in  v.  7.  It  is  evident,  that  this  rigid  adherence  to 
even  measure  has  occasioned  several  ellipses  of  verbs,  as  has  been 
hinted  above,  but  these  are  not  such  as  to  obscure  the  sense.] 


CHAP.  I.  8— IX.  18. 

Admonition  to  love  wisdom  in  all  circumstances  and  condi 
tions,  to  strive  for  the  acquisition  of  it,  and  to  shun  everything 
which  is  opposed  to  it. 

As  to  the  characteristics  of  this  part  of  the  book  of  Prov 
erbs,  both  in  respect  to  style  and  sentiment,  the  reader  is 
referred  to  the  discussion  concerning  them  in  the  critical 
Introduction. 

CHAP.  I.  8—33. 

[This  may  be  sepai'atedinto  three  divisions  ;  (1 )  vs.  8,  9.  (2)  Vs.  10 — 19. 
(3)  Vs.  20 — 33.  The  first  two  verses  here  exhibit  the  relation  of  the 
person  addressed  to  his  monitor,  and  make  an  earnest  appeal  to  him, 
urging  him  readily  to  receive  the  proffered  instruction.  To  induce 
him  so  to  do,  it  holds  forth  the  beautiful  ornaments  of  character, 
which  such  a  readiness  will  confer  upon  him.] 

(8)  Hear,  my  son,  the  instruction  of  thy  father,  and  forsake  not  the 
teaching  of  thy  mother. 

My  son  is  the  usual  address  of  a  teacher  to  a  learner,  and 
is  common  in  Persia  and  Arabia,  as  well  as  in  Palestine. 
The  learner  is  usually  a  young  person  ;  but  the  term  son,  in 
this  case,  is  merely  indicative  of  affection,  and  not  of  descent. 
In  other  words,  the  writer  assumes  the  attitude  of  a  parent 
addressing  his  children.  —  irntn  ,  Imperf.  Kal,  second  pers.  of 


144  PAKT  I— CHAP.  I.  9. 

Bina .  bx  designates  a  negative,  in  a  hortative  or  imperative 
clause.  —  rvvin  doctrine,  teaching,  which  is  the  original  sense 
of  the  word,  since  it  conies  from  fT"H ,  to  instruct.  It  passes 
over,  very  naturally,  to  the  sense  of  law,  precept.  But  in 
Prov.  it  is  often  used  as  above ;  e.  g.  3  :  1.  4:2.  7:  2.  28 : 
7,  9.  29  :  18,  al.  Specially  does  it  designate  parental  in 
struction,  which  has  in  it  something  of  the  nature  of  law. 

(9)  For  a  graceful  wreath  shall  they  be  to  thy  head,  and  a  collar  to 
thy  neck. 

The  moral  beauty  which  will  become  conspicuous  by  fol 
lowing  the  advice  given  in  the  preceding  verse,  is  here 
symbolized  by  objects  of  conspicuous  adornment  to  the  per 
son.  —  Graceful  wreath,  means  a  beautiful  one,  for  "jn ,  like 
the  Greek  %aQig,  means  both  beauty  and  grace  or  favor. 
The  second  noun  supplies  the  place  of  an  adjective,  §  104.  1. 
—  on ,  are  they,  §  119.  2.  The  simple  meaning  is,  that  '  obe 
dience  to  parental  precepts  will  be  as  a  beautiful  diadem  on 
the  head  of  him  who  yields  it.'  —  Collar  to  thy  neck,  comp. 
Dan.  5 :  29,  which  relates  that  Belshazzar,  in  order  to  honor 
Daniel,  commanded  "  a  chain  of  gold  to  be  put  around  his 
neck."  The  insignia  of  office  and  honor  were  usually  dis 
played  by  some  conspicuous  ornament  on  the  neck.  —  np£3§ 
is  plur.  probably  because  the  chain  or  collar  consisted  of 
many  composite  parts ;  but  we  may  express  the  idea  sub 
stantially  by  the  singular  —  collar  —  which  is  preferable  in 
our  language  to  the  plural  form.  The  meaning  of  the  whole 
is  plain :  '  Obedience  to  paternal  precepts  will  be  to  thy 
character  and  reputation,  what  diadems  and  necklaces  of 
honor  are  to  the  person.'  In  other  words  :  It  will  render 
thee  conspicuous  and  admired  for  thy  virtues. 


Second  division;  vs.  10 — 19. 

[This  contains  an  earnest  dissuasive  from  associating  with  those, 
who  seek  for  gain  in  robbery  and  murder.     The  warning  thus  placed 


PART  1— CIIAI*.  I.  10,  11.  Uo 

at  the  head  of  all  others,  betokens  a  state  of  society  much  like  that 
which  now  exists  in  Italy.  It  would  seem  that  Banditti  were  not  only 
frequent,  but  that  the  attractions  which  such  a,  mode  of  life  offered  to 
young,  idle,  and  profligate  persons,  were  great  and  dangerous.  The 
civil  police  must  of  course  have  been  unskilful  or  inefficient.  Such  a 
mode  of  life  was  not  only  utter  ruin  to  character,  but  it  was  fraught 
with  the  most  imminent  danger  of  destruction .  Those  who  lived  in 
this  way.  as  it  would  seem,  employed  all  the  arts  of  persuasion  to 
entice  the  young  to  join  their  corps,  and  thus  to  strengthen  them  in 
their  warfare  against  the  peaceful  possessors  of  property.  They 
promised  them  abundance  of  shining  gold  and  houses  filled  with 
spoil,  vs.  10 — 14.  The  youth  is  cautioned  to  keep  himself  far  from 
them,  and  is  assured  that  their  wicked  course  will  speedily  end  in  a 
dreadful  doom.] 

(10)  My  son,  if  sinners  entice  thee,  consent  thou  not. 

sims? ,  Imperf.  Piel  of  fina .  —  xnn,  for  ssxn ,  from  xsx  = 
•isx ,  to  consent,  being  a  weaker  form  of  the  common  verb  as 
last  given.  The  omission  of  fc<  in  writing,  when  it  quiesces, 
is  too  common  to  need  particular  illustration,  §  8.  4.  The 
Piel  form  of  iPiEP  designates  repeated  attempts  at  persuasion, 
continued  efforts  to  persuade. 

(11)  If  they  shall  say:  Come  now  with  us,  let  us  lay  wait  for  blood, 
let  us  lurk  for  him  who  in  vain  is  innocent. 

The  actions  of  banditti  are  here  accurately  described. 
They  lie  in  wait,  in  order  to  destroy  the  unsuspecting.  They 
lurk,  so  as  to  cause  no  alarm  to  him,  who,  confiding  in  his  inno 
cence  or  harmlessness,  goes  forth  in  security.  But  his  inno 
cence  is  C2H  fruitless,  or  in  vain.  His  imagined  security 
exposes  him  the  more  to  the  assassins,  inasmuch  as  he  goes 
unarmed.  That  csn  qualifies  or  modifies  ips ,  is  plain  from 
its  position.  The  meaning  is,  that  even  innocence  is  fruitless, 
as  to  exempting  from  the  attack  of  such  assassins  ;  comp. 
Ps.  35 :  11).  G9  :  5.  Lam.  3  :  52.  At  the  same  time,  this 
greatly  aggravates  the  crime  of  the  robbers.  The  sing.  "«pa 
is  generic,  comprehending  that  class  of  persons.  The  sequel 

13 


U6  PART  I— CHAP.  I.  12,  13. 

shows  this,  where  they  are  spoken  of  in  the  plural  number. 
—  fisb ,  i.  e.  the  Imper.  r£  (root  T}5?)>  with  fiT  paragogic 
or  hortative,  §  48.  3.  The  like  is  the  case  with  the  other 
two  verbs,  only  that  they  are  Imperf.  first  pers.  plur.,  which 
tense  often  follows  the  Imp.  mode, 

(12)  Let  us  swallow  them  up  alive,  like  the  under-world;  even 
those  in  full  strength  shall  be  as  those  who  go  down  to  the  pit. 

Swallow  them  (plur.  pron.)  up,  means  to  devour  in  a  sud 
den  and  fearful  manner.  —  Like  the  under-world,  i.  e.  Sheol, 
Hades,  which  swallows  up  the  race  of  man.  —  Alive,  a^n , 
the  same  in  Ps.  55 :  1 6.  124 :  3.  Usually,  the  grave  devours 
or  swallows  up  only  the  dead ;  but  the  depredators,  in  this 
case,  propose  to  do  to  the  living,  what  the  grave  does  to  the 
dead  in  consuming  them,  yet  not  literally,  but  figuratively. 
The  idea  is  that  of  sudden  and  unexpected  destruction  in 
the  midst  of  life,  and  in  the  full  state  of  health,  as  the  subse 
quent  dTqicn  plainly  indicates.  Gesenius  has  mistaken  the 
meaning  of  this  word  here.  He  gives  incolumis,  salvus,  as 
the  sense.  But  plainly  the  meaning  is  kindred  to  and  con 
nected  with  D^n .  The  two  words  indicate  life  and  good 
health.  Comp.  as  to  swallowing  up,  Num.  16 :  30, 31.  Senti 
ment  :  '  Let  us  destroy  those  suddenly  and  unexpectedly, 
who  are  not  only  among  the  living,  but  in  sound  health. 
This  shall  be  no  protection  to  them.  We  can  as  easily 
devour  them  as  the  grave  devours  the  unresisting  dead.'  — 
Tin  iTnii ,  pit-descenders,  i.  e.  the  buried  dead.  Comp.  for 
this  phrase,  Ps.  88  :  5.  Ezek.  26 :  20.  31:  14.  The  essence 
of  the  comparison  lies  in  this,  viz.  that  living  persons,  who 
are  of  sound  health,  may  be  as  easily  and  surely  devoured, 
as  the  grave  devours  dead  ones.  No  resistance  or  danger 
from  them  need  be  anticipated. 

(13)  All  precious  wealth  shall  we  find  ;  our  houses  shall  we  fill 
with  spoil. 

This  verse  begins  the  persuasive  part  of  tl.e  address  to  the 


I— CHAP.  I.  14—17.  147 

youth.  The  hortative  is  dropped  here,  as  the  form  of  the 
verb  (without  n-  paragogic)  indicates,  and  the  plunderers 
venture  to  predict  the  consequence  of  their  foray.  —  "tjyi 
denotes  what  is  precious  or  rare,  referring  probably  to  jewels, 
and  the  like.  —  ^tia ,  irreg.  plur.  of  rva ,  with  suff.  —  bbd ,  a 
second  Ace.,  governed  by  the  verb  of  filing,  §  135.  3.  b. 
§  136.  1. 

(14)  Thy  lot  shalt  thou  cast  in  the  midst  of  us  ;  one  purse  shall  be 
for  us  all. 

In  other  words :  '  Thou  shalt  be  a  partner  with  us,  and 
entitled  to  thy  full  proportion  of  the  spoil.'  One  and  the 
same  purse  shall  be  for  all,  repeats  the  same  idea  in  a  dif 
ferent  form,  viz.  *  We  will  have  one  common  purse.'  Thus 
far  the  exhortation  of  the  plunderers.  The  teacher's  advice 
comes  next. 

(15)  My  son,  go  not  in  the  way  with  them;  keep  back  thy  foot 
from  their  paths. 

This  is  in  direct  opposition  to  the  counsel  of  the  plun 
derers,  and  is  as  much  as  to  say :  '  Do  not  associate  with 
them,  but  refrain  from  all  intercourse.' —  n  Fix ,  compounded 
of  a-  suff.  pron.,  and  nx  preposition  =  with. 

(16).  For  their  feet  run  to  evil;  and  they  hasten  to  shed  blood. 

In  other  words :  '  They  are  eager  to  do  evil,  and  hasten 
swiftly  to  scenes  of  bloodshed.' — T\&zb ,  with  short  6  in  the 
final  syllable,  because  of  the  Maqqeph  which  follows. 

(17)   Surely  in  vain  is  the  net  spread  in  the  sight  of  any  bird. 

13  cannot  be  causal  here,  for  this  verse  assigns  no  reason 
or  ground  of  the  preceding  one.  This  particle  not  unfre- 
quently  has  an  intensive  meaning,  (like  the  Latin  imo,  or 
the  German  ya,  truly,  indeed),  in  the  beginning  of  a  sentence  ; 
e.  g.  Is.  28:28.  8:23.  32:13.  Ps.  77:12.  71:23.  Ex, 
22 :  22.  Job  8 :  G  ;  see  Ewald's  Gramm.  §  320.  b.,  Ges.  Lex, 
•^3,  5.  c,  who,  however,  has  given  but  a  narrow  view  of  this 


148  PART  I— CHAP.  I.  18,  19. 

not  unfrequent  usage.  The  writer  means  to  say:  'it  is 
indeed  true  that  the  net,  etc.' —  •"Hi'tE ,  Part,  of  Pual,  from 
i"p.f.  The  1  is  merely  a  fulcrum  for  the  vowel  Hholem, 
which  is  substituted  for  the  regular  Qibbutz,  because  the 
Dagh.  is  excluded  from  the  "i.  —  r.'r^n,  with  the  article,  an 
appropriate  kind  of  net  being  meant.  —  ?:3  bs'3 ,  lit.  pos 
sessor  of  a  wing,  i.  e.  winged  creature  =  bird ;  see  Lex. 
In  other  words :  '  Birds  which  see  the  net  spread  for  them 
fly  away,  as  we  well  know,  and  escape.'  The  comparison 
intended  is  completed  by  the  next  verse. 

(18)  But  these  lie  in  wait  for  their  own  blood  ;  they  lurk  for  their 
own  lives. 

The  1  is  here  adversative,  §  152.  B.  b.  —  For  their  own 
Hood  .  .  .for  their  own  lives,  not  to  protect  and  save  them, 
but  they  act  as  if  they  were  bent  upon  destroying  them. 
They  use  their  cunning  and  their  efforts  in  the  like  way,  as 
if  they  were  laboring  to  bring  themselves  into  ruin.  The 
implication  is,  that  while  they  spread  the  net  for  others,  they, 
like  the  birds,  will  take  cognizance  thereof  and  escape.  But 
not  merely  this ;  those  who  spread  the  net  will  be  resisted 
and  attacked,  and  will  lose  their  own  lifeblood.  Their 
confident  boast  of  easy  conquest  will  not  be  realized.  Instead 
of  spoiling  others,  they  will  be  despoiled ;  for  others  will 
have  their  eyes  open  to  see  the  net,  and  thus  they  will  escape 
it,  and  moreover  inflict  vengeance  on  those  who-laid  it.  The 
but  at  the  beginning  of  the  verse,  seems  to  indicate  that  the 
plunderers  are  less  wary  than  the  birds,  and  rush  on  to  a 
destruction  which  might  easily  be  avoided,  if  they  would  but 
open  their  eyes  to  see  its  indications. 

(19)  Such  are  the  ways  of  every  one  greedy  of  plunder;  it  taketh 
away  the  life  of  its  master. 

Such  is  the  conclusion  of  this  second  division,  viz.,  vs.  10 — 
19.  —  rxa  3.'X3,  lit.  plundering  plunder,  is  a  usual  Hebraism 
to  make  out  a  strong  expression.  The  shade  of  meaning  is 


PART  1— CHAP.  I.  20.  149 

truly  given  in  the  version. —  ^?a,  plur.  form  with  suff.,but 
with  the  meaning  of  the  singular  ;  see  Lex.  —  n^  in  pause. 
Imperf.  of  npb ,  in  the  sense  of  taking  aivay  ;  see  Lex.  b. 

Such  is  the  solemn  warning  of  paternal  admonition,  ad 
dressed  to  all  the  young  who  are  tempted  to  embark  in  un 
lawful  doings  for  the  sake  of  gain.  It  escapes  them  after 
all,  and  they,  by  their  wicked  course,  bring  on  themselves 
destruction. 

Third  Division,  vs.  20—33. 

» 

[In  the  preceding  paragraph,  the  invitations  and  allurements  of 
wicked  depredators  addressed  to  youth  are  pi-csented.  The  fatal 
consequences  of  listening  to  them  arc  also  brought  to  view.  The 
section  now  before  us  presents  a  call  or  invitation  of  a  character 
entirely  opposite.  Heavenly  wisdom,  (here  personified  in  the  oriental 
manner),  utters  a  louder,  moi'e  distinct,  and  more  earnest  call,  urging 
upon  the  young  the  fear  of  God.  The  importance  and  necessity  of 
this  are  proclaimed  in  all  conspicuous  places,  where  the  people  throng, 
—  in  the  streets  and  bustling  market-places,  at  the  openings  of  the 
gates,  and  throughout  the  city.  She  rebukes  men  for  loving  and 
cleaving  to  folly  and  hating  knowledge,  and  exhorts  them  to  listen  to 
her  admonitions,  vs.  20 — 23.  She  presents  the  consequences  of  not 
listening  to  them,  and  of  rejecting  them  ;  and  declares,  that  at  a  future 
period  she  will  remain  unmoved  by  their  outcries,  Avhen  calamities 
invade  them,  vs.  24 — 27.  Finally,  when  their  sorrows  become  insup 
portable,  she  predicts  that  they  will  earnestly  call  upon  her  to  interpose ; 
but  she  assures  them  that  she  will  remain  quiet  and  inactive,  as  they 
did,  when  she  called  unto  them.  Their  hati-ed  of  true  knowledge  and 
their  impious  rejection  of  all  admonition,  suffice  to  justify  the  course 
which  she  will  take.  vs.  28 — 31.  From  this  particular  view  of  their 
actions  and  their  consequent  doom,  the  writer  deduces  an  important 
general  sentiment,  viz.  that  the  aversion  of  fools  to  wisdom,  and  their 
spiritual  sloth,  must  at  last  bring  about  their  utter  ruin ;  while  those, 
who  timely  hearken  to  admonition,  shall  dwell  in  safety  and  quietude, 
without  any  fear  of  evil,  vs.  32,  33.] 

(20)  Wisdom  crieth  aloud  without ;  in  the  broad  streets  she  utter- 
eth  her  voice. 

n,  of  the  plur.  form,  but  sing,  in  meaning.     The 
13* 


150  PART  I— CHAP.  I.  21. 

ground  of  this  is,  either  that  the  plur.  is  a  favorite  form  for 
abstract  nouns,  or  else  (as  usual)  the  plural  form  denotes 
intensity;  see  the  same  in  9 :  1.  So  Hitzig,  and  so  Ewald 
(Gramm.  edit.  5.  §  165.  <?.),  both  inclining  to  the  first  solution. 
Hence  ns'iFj ,  as  Ewald  supposes,  is  prob.  sing,  (see  ^P33  in 
9:  1),  the  fern,  ending  na —  being  added  to  distinguish  the 
third  pers.  fern,  from  the  second  masc. ;  see  the  like  in  8  :  3. 
Judg.  5  :  26.  Ex.  1:  10.  Is.  27:  11.  28 :  3.  Job  17:  16;  see 
Ew.  Gramm.  §  191.  c,  who  fully  notices  this  peculiarity.  If 
any  one  prefers  the  plur.  of  the  verb  here,  in  accordance  with 
the  form  of  the  noun,  he  is  at  liberty  to  do  so,  although  this 
principle  does  not  apply  to  most  of  the  parallel  cases  which 
are  referred  to,  where  the  verb  is  plainly  singular.  —  rnn'rna , 
lit.  in  the  wide  places,  but  the  word  commonly  designates  tJie 
streets,  which  are  usually  wide  openings.  —  inn ,  gives  out, 
utters,  where  the  verb  is  third  fern.  sing. ;  as  is  also  the  suff. 
pron.  in  «nbip ;  and  these  sing,  forms  render  probable  the 
conclusion  above  made  respecting  the  sing,  of  ns'in . 

(21)  At  the  head  of  the  bustling  places  she  makes  proclamation, 
in  the  openings  of  the  gates ;  in  the  city,  she  utters  her  words. 

rvhah ,  plur.  fern.  Part,  of  Kal,  from  frart ,  and  meaning 
noisy  places,  i.  e.  places  where  the  busy  and  bustling  throng 
are  met  together,  probably  =  market-places.  —  Openings  of 
the  gates,  the  place  where  tribunals  were  held,  and  consul 
tations  carried  on,  because  of  the  broad  space  around  the 
opening.  The  punctators,  by  a  pause-accent,  have  joined 
this  clause  with  the  last  part  of  the  verse,  since  they  have 
separated  the  first  ari^og  at  aoph ;  but  the  pause-accent  ought 
to  stand  on  D^STS  .  The  word  -nya  is  not  to  be  joined  with 
this  as  an  accession  to  it,  for  then  it  would  have  a  "i  before  it. 
But  it  needs  no  Vav  if  we  translate  as  above.  In  the  open 
ings  of  the  gates  and  in  the  city  are  two  different  phrases ; 
but  the  latter  is  coordinate  with  the  former,  and  is  designed 
to  be  an  enlargement  of  it.  All  the  places  of  usual  con- 


PART  I—  CHAP.  I.  22.  151 

course  are  first  mentioned,  and  then  comes  the  generic  word, 
comprising  both  these  and  all  others  not  yet  mentioned,  viz., 
^53  .  It  would  seem  from  the  manifold  and  wide-spread 
action  here  described,  that  under  the  appellation  of  wisdom 
are  here  comprised  all  the  wise  men  and  teachers  and  proph 
ets,  who,  in  various  ways  and  in  different  places,  taught  and 
proclaimed  to  men  their  duty. 

(22)  How  long,  ye  simple,  will  ye  love  simplicity,  and  scomers 
delight  themselves  in  scorning,  and  fools  hate  knowledge? 


,  for  the  form,  see  under  v.  4  above.  —  WiiXFi  ,  Imperf. 
Piel,  with  Tseri  under  x  ,  because  the  following  Gutt.  (n) 
excludes  the  Daghesh.  —  As  to  ins  ,  simplicity  is  the  first 
meaning  of  this  root,  which  is  indeed  an  abstract  meaning, 
but  then  such  abstracts  are  often  employed  as  concretes  ; 
e.  g.  folly  fo?  fools,  simplicity  for  simple  persons,  and  the  like. 
—  taixb  >  Plur-  Part-  of  Y*b  5  like  d^rra  from  nia  .  —  crfc  siian  , 
delight  themselves,  seems  to  present  a  Dat.  commodi  in  cnb  . 
But  we  may  also  translate,  desire  for  themselves,  with  a  Dat. 
of  the  person  for  whom.  —  "pxb  is  here  an  abstract  noun,  from 
Y*b  ,  although  this  ending  more  usually  is  concrete,  §  85.  2.  4. 
In  the  second  clause,  "."ran  is  in  the  Perf.,  which  is  somewhat 
unusual  in  such  a  case  of  habitual  action.  The  other  two 
clauses  present  the  Imperfect,  as  usual  in  such  cases.  There 
are,  however,  many  cases  of  designating  past  action  which 
still  continues  and  will  continue,  where  the  Perf.  is  employed  ; 
for  this  tense  is  used  to  designate  general  truths,  which  have 
by  experience  already  been  established  and  definitely  settled  ; 
e.  g.  comp.  Ps.  10:  3.  33  :  13,  seq.  39  :  12.  84:  4.  Prov.  11: 
2,  8.  22:  12,  etc.  1  Sam.  2  :  3—5.  Ewald  has  most  fully 
treated  of  this,  in  §  135.  b.  In  several  of  the  examples  above 
cited,  the  Perf.  and  Imperf.  precede  and  follow  each  other, 
in  the  same  train  of  narration  ;  which  shows  that,  by  usage, 
they  often  occupy  nearly  the  same  ground.  Still,  we  may  say 
in  general,  that  the  Imperf.  looks  more  to  what  is  going  on 


152  PART  I—  CHAP.  I.  23,  24. 

arid  will  go  on,  but  the  Perf.  more  to  what  has  past  and  still 
continues.  —  The  knowledge  which  is  hated,  is  that  knowledge 
which  is  equivalent  to  wisdom,  viz.,  the  knowledge  of  what 
is  good  and  true  and  pious. 

(23)  Turn  ye  sit  my  reproof:  behold  !  I  will  pour  out  my  spirit 
npon  you,  I  will  make  you  to  know  my  words. 


to'iJn,  Imperf.  for  Imper.  hortative,  §  125.  3.  c.  The  b 
which  follows,  points  out  the  direction  toward  which  they 
are  to  turn,  quasi  :  turn  ye  toward  my  reproof,  i.  e.  put  your 
selves  in  such  a  posture,  as  to  notice  it  and  take  warning  ; 
or  b  may  mean  here  on  account  of,  because  of,  Lex  A.  6.  — 
nspiax  (Hiph.  of  s-na),  lit.  I  will  cause  to  gush  forth  my  spirit 
unto  you,  or  upon  you.  —  My  spirit,  i.  e.  my  animating  and 
energizing  influence.  This  influence  is  here  plainly  of  a 
moral  and  sanctifying  nature;  and  those  who  hearken  to 
wisdom  will  have  experience  of  it.  The  transition  from  the 
primitive  meaning  of  ri*Ti  (wind)  is  easy  and  natural.  The 
wind  is  an  invisible  and  mysterious,  yet  powerful  agent. 
Even  so  the  divine  H*n  is  the  invisible  and  yet  powerful 
agent,  in  moving  and  quickening  the  minds  of  men  to  obe 
dience.  —  /  will  make  you  to  know  ;  the  pronoun  canx  is  in 
the  Ace.  and  is  governed  by  the  verb  (the  Hiph.  of  STJ  with 
n-  paragogic)  ;  which  also  governs  "nrw  a  second  Ace.,  §  136. 
1.  The  nx  is  merely  the  Ace.  partic.  —  All  here  promised 
will  follow  from  turning,  i.  e.  from  true  repentance  and  the 
forsaking  of  sin.  But  the  next  verse  shows  the  great  con 
tumacy  of  those  who  will  not  hearken,  and  also  the  earnest 
ness  with  which  they  have  been  admonished  and  warned. 

(24)  Because  I  have  called,  and  ye  have  refused.  I  have  stretched 
forth  my  hand,  and  no  one  hath  listened  ; 

Our  pres.  tense  might  be  employed  in  rendering  all  the 
verbs  here,  since  the  Perfect  often  designates  enduring 
action,  just  as  our  present  tense  also  does.  But,  although 
adopted  by  Bertheau  (Coinm.),  I  prefer  the  Perfect;  for 


PART  I— CHAP.  I.  25—27.  153 

the  speaker  seems  to  take  his  stand  at  the  close  of  proba 
tion,  when  final  trial  and  retribution  are  about  to  ensue.  I 
have  called  is  therefore  appropriate.  —  Called,  i.  e.  proclaimed 
the  truth,  and  given  you  repeated  invitations  to  listen  to  it. 
—  Stretching  forth  the  hand,  is  the  gesture  of  one  earnestly 
beseeching.  —  Listened,  viz.  to  my  call. 

(25)  But  ye  have  rejected  all  my  counsel,  and  have  not  desired  my 
reproof. 

WiBFfi ,  =  the  Praeter  sense,  by  reason  of  the  3  consecu 
tive  ;  which  is  not  frequent  in  such  a  book  as  the  present, 
but  is  common  in  narrations.  However,  the  discourse  as 
sumes  here  somewhat  of  the  form  of  narration. 

(26)  Even  I  will  laugh  at  your  calamity,  and  mock  when  your  fear 
cometh. 

Even  I,  not  I  also,  for  who  are  the  others  that  laugh  and 
mock  ?  Even  1,  is  emphatic,  —  I,  who  have  warned  you  so 
often,  so  tenderly,  and  so  earnestly,  —  even  I,  shall  henceforth 
treat  you  as  enemies,  who  deserve  contempt.  —  X22 ,  Inf. 
const,  before  a  noun  which  is  its  subject.  Lit.  in  the  coming 
of  your  fear,  i.  e.  of  that  which  was  your  fear,  or  which  you 
feared.  The  intensity  of  the  tropical  language  here  makes 
the  expression  exceedingly  strong.  Laughing  at  and  mock- 
ing,  are  expressions  of  the  highest  and  most  contemptuous 
indignation.  Comp.  Ps.  2  :  5,  where,  as  applicable  to  God, 
this  same  bold  language  is  employed. 

(27)  When  your  fear  cometh  as  a  destructive  tempest,  and  your 
calamity   advances   as    a   sweeping1   whirlwind,    when    distress    and 
aiiguish  come  upon  you. 

The  word  mxd ,  in  the  text,  if  retained,  should  be  pointed 
thus :  !~nx;£J .  The  Masorites,  however,  have  adjusted  the 
vowels  to  the  marginal  reading  rtxvJ  ;  unnecessarily,  for  the* 
text-form  is  normal,  and  probably  legitimate.  This  verse 
exhibits  one  of  the  usages,  in  respect  to  the  Inf.  construct, 


154  PART  1— CHAP.  I.  28. 

which  deserves  special  notice,  viz.,  the  fact  that  a  word 
qualifying  the  action  of  the  verb,  or  designating  the  object 
of  its  action,  may  be  placed  between  the  Inf.  const,  and  the 
noun  which  is  its  proper  subject.  Thus  to  the  first  belong 
Siwrs  and  nsios  ,both  placed  between  the  Inf.  and  its  subject, 
and  qualifying  the  action  of  the  verb ;  to  the  latter  belongs 
ttrbs ,  designating  the  object  of  the  verb's  action.  —  •"trjK!!  > 
Imperf.,  is  a  change  of  construction ;  but  this  tense  fre 
quently  is  a  continuative  of  the  Inf.  mode ;  and  this  usage 
serves  the  purpose  of  variety.  —  The  imagery  employed 
here  is  vivid  and  awful.  It  is  partly  obscured  in  our  com 
mon  version.  Umbreit  translates  nx'd  and  ttsno,  by  Don- 
nerwetter  and  Sturmwind,  which  come  near  the  force  of  the 
original  words. 

(28)  Then  shall  they  call  upon  me,  but  I  will  not  answer;  they 
shall  earnestly  seek  me,  but  they  shall  not  find  me. 

Here,  in  the  version,  shall  implies  confident  prediction, 
will  both  predicts  and  expresses  determination.  In  all  three 
of  the  plur.  verbs,  the  1  final  of  the  normal  forms  is  omitted, 
and  it  is  written  in  each  case  by  a  vicarious  Qibbuts  (§  9.  1. 
&.),  —  a  very  common  usage  in  writing  ;  (read  u-neni)  ;  see 
also  §  47.  3.  n.  4.  This  ending  (:- )  differs  somewhat  in 
development  from  the  Nun  epenthetic,  as  described  in  §  57. 
4 ;  for  that  takes  the  vowels  (_ )  and  („)  before  it,  and  is 
usually  written  by  a  Daghesh.  The  effect,  however,  of 
both  seems  to  be  nearly  the  same,  see  Note  in  §  57.  4.  This 
development  of  the  Imperf.  with  a  sun0.,  as  here,  is  confined 
to  poetry,  and  is  frequent  in  this  book ;  see  Note,  ib.  —  The 
verb  imr  means  to  burst  or  break  forth  ;  and  so  "iWJ  comes 
to  mean  morning.  So  we  say,  break  of  day ;  and  the  like 
did  the  Hebrews.  But  while  the  idea  of  early  does  not 
'belong  to  the  verb  of  itself,  still,  the  nature  of  the  action 
designated  implies  intensity,  earnestness.  I  have  so  trans 
lated.  The  verb  comes  to  designate  seeking  earnestly,  as  its 


PAKT  I— CHAP.  I.  29—31.  155 

secondary  sense,  by  reason  of  the  impetuosity  usually  ex 
hibited  by  those  who  are  anxious  seekers.  The  Piel  form 
in  the  text  gives  additional  intensity  to  the  meaning. — 
Sentiment :  '  When  danger  is  imminent  and  punishment  has 
begun,  then,  sinners  who  have  refused  to  listen  unto  warn 
ings,  and  have  despised  admonition  until  their  probation  has 
ended,  will  seek  anxiously,  but  in  vain,  for  deliverance  from 
further  punishment.' 

(29)  Because  they  have  hated  knowledge,  and  have  not  chosen  the 
fear  of  God. 

The  word  rnn ,  because,  is  introductory  to  the  four  follow 
ing  clauses,  each  and  all  of  which  belong  to  the  protasis  of 
a  long  sentence  ;  the  apodosis  follows,  being  introduced  by  ^ 
apodotic  in  v.  31.  The  arrangement  stands  thus:  'Because 
they  have  done  so  and  so  ...  therefore  they  shall  be  pun 
ished  so  and  so.'  —  nna  (n  in  Pause)  might  be  translated  : 
delighted  in  or  desired.  But  the  word  choose  is  better  here, 
because  it  indicates  the  giving  of  preference  to  one  thing 
over  another.  They  did  not  give  preference  to  piety  over 
disobedience. 

(30)  They  desired  not  my  counsel;  they  despised  all  my  reproof. 

The  preceding  verse  gives  the  positive  part  of  their  wick 
edness;  this,  the  negative  one,  i.  e,  they  refused  counsel, 
they  despised  reproof. 

(31)  Therefore  shall  they  eat  of  the  fruit  of  their  own  way,  they 
shall  be  satiated  with  their  own  counsels. 

The  1  here,  at  the  beginning,  marks  the  commencement 
of  the  apodosis,  and  consequently  may  be  rendered  therefore. 
—  Their  way,  means  their  conduct, —  Their  counsels  (root 
Y^)  means  here  devices  or  plans.  The  la  stands  for  I'B, 
the  quiescent  being  omitted,  as  oftentimes,  in  writing.  —  Our 
version  translates  sirato?  by  filled.  The  Heb.  verb  is  of  a 


156  PART  I—  CHAP.  1.  32,  33. 

stronger  signification  ;  which  is  given  in  the  version  above. 
I  should  prefer  a  Saxon  word  to  the  Latin  derivate  satiated  ; 
but  where  is  it  to  be  found? 

Such  is  the  fearful  doom  of  the  contumacious  opposers 
of  heavenly  wisdom.  The  two  following  verses  develop  the 
general  ground  or  principle,  on  which  this  sentence  is 
founded. 

(32)  Surely,  the  turning  away  of  the  simple  shall  slay  them,  and 
the  slothful  quietude  of  fools  shall  destroy  them. 


Turning  away,  viz.,  from  proffered  admonition. 
quietude,  here  designates  unfeeling  apathy  under  all  remon 
strances  and  exhortations  to  rouse  up  to  dutiful  action. 
Amid  all  these  the  simple  remain  unmoved  and  indifferent. 
Quietude  cannot  be  meant  here,  in  the  way  of  peaceful 
enjoyment. 

(33)  But  he  who  hearkeneth  to  me  shall  dwell  in  confidence;  he 
shall  be  tranquil,  without  fear  of  evil. 

Lastly  comes,  to  crown  all,  the  promises  of  reward  to  the 
obedient.  The  second  clause  explains  the  first.  Dwelling 
niiS,  in  confidence,  (Ace.  of  manner),  means,  that  he  will 
have  no  reason  to  apprehend  evil,  and  therefore  will  not 
anticipate  it.  —  *|2x;^1  (made  Fut.  by  •))  is  the  Pilel  form  of 
ixa  .  —  I  take  the  a  in  ^n3^  to  mean  without,  Lat.  sine;  so 
in  Job  11:  15.  21:  9.  Gen.  27:  39.  Is.  14:  19.  Jer.  48:  45. 
Like  ni32  in  the  preceding  clause,  it  denotes  the  manner  of 
the  tranquillity.  Our  version  —  quiet  from  fear  —  can  hardly 
afford  a  tolerable  meaning.  We  say  free  from  fear,  delivered 
from  fear,  and  the  like  ;  but  quiet  from  fear  would  seem  to 
mean  :  quiet  through  or  by  reason  of  fear  ;  which  is  far  from 
the  true  idea.  The  accents  divide,  as  in  the  version  above. 
The  last  two  words  need  no  "i  before  them,  because  they 
merely  qualify  the  verb. 


PART  I— CHAP.  II.  1—22.  157 


CHAP.  II.  1-22. 

Exhortation  to  seek  after  wisdom ;  many  and  important 
benefits  will  ensue  from  finding  it. 

[Continued,  constant,  and  earnest  seeking  after  wisdom  will  lead  to 
the  fear  and  the  knowledge  of  God,  vs.  1 — 5.  Jehovah  will  impart  wis 
dom  to  such  seekers,  and  sound  discretion ;  he  will  protect  them  and  keep 
them  in  the  right  path,  vs.  6—8.  Consequently,  the  sincere  seeker  will 
be  led  to  understand  the  good  and  the  true ;  and  such  knowledge  shall 
give  pleasure  to  his  soul,  and  discretion  shall  preserve  him,  vs.  9 — 11. 
These  will  save  him  from  the  evil  and  perverse  man,  who  forsakes 
uprightness  and  walks  in  darkness  ;  who  rejoices  in  evil  doing  and 
perverseness ;  whose  ways  are  crooked  and  perverted,  vs.  12 — 15.  He 
shall  be  delivered  from  the  strange  woman  who  flatters ;  who  forsakes 
the  guide  of  her  youth,  and  forgets  the  covenant  of  her  God  :  whose 
house  goes  down  to  death,  and  her  paths  to  the  land  of  ghosts ;  and 
all  who  go  in  unto  her,  return  no  more  to  the  paths  of  the  living,  vs. 
1 6 — 1 9.  We  must  watchfully  observe  and  walk  in  the  paths  of  the 
good ;  for  the  upright  shall  have  a  safe  and  permanent  habitation  in 
the  land,  while  wicked  traitors  shall  be  cut  off  from  it.  vs.  20 — 22. 

Properly  speaking,  this  whole  chapter  has  not  only  one  theme,  but 
it  virtually  consists  of  only  one  prolonged  and  composite  sentence. 
There  is  nowhere  any  sign  of  the  commencement  of  a  new  theme  or 
sentence ;  nor  any  palpable  marks  of  separate  strophes.  Yet  the 
structure,  in  another  respect,  is  somewhat  artistic.  Analysis  will 
show  that  there  is  a  peculiar  arrangement.  If  we  divide  the  chapter 
into  two  parts,  each  has  in  it  a  series  of  connected  verses  of  four, 
four,  and  three,  making  eleven  verses  in  each  part.  The  first  four 
verses  in  the  chapter  constitute  a  protasis  ;  the  second  four,  an  apodo- 
sis ;  and  then  the  three  which  follow  (vs.  9 — 1 1 ),  are  a  second  apodosis ; 
both  the  apodoses  commence  alike  with  "p^iTi  tX .  In  the  second  part 
of  the  chapter  (vs.  12—22),  which  describes  the  divine  protection,  the 
two  first  groups  of  four  begin  each  with  ^^Kb ,  and  the  last  group 
of  three  begins  with  "jSE^  ,  which  is  equivalent  to  the  !p  that  stands 
before  the  verb  at  the  head  of  the  two  other  groups.  Besides  this 
peculiarity  of  numerical  arrangement  and  harmony,  every  verse  has 
only  two  parts  or  parallelisms,  and  for  the  most  part,  these  have  the 
same  number  of  word*  in  them,  which  i.s  usually  ihree.  In  a  few 

14 


158  PART  I-CHAP.  II,  1—3. 

cases  we  find  four,  where  the  words  are  short,  and  two  where  they  are 
long.  This  shows  that  some  kind  of  rhythm  is  aimed  at,  although 
we  cannot  successfully  decipher  it.  The  whole  chapter  is,  in  one 
respect,  a  monogram  by  itself;  but  still,  it  is  here  intimately  con 
nected  with,  and  allied  to,  the  main  subject.  The  tenor  of  the  style, 
in  this  chapter,  is  like  that  in  the  surrounding  context.] 

(1)  My  son,  if  thou  wilt  receive  my  words,  and  treasure  up  my 
commands  with  thee  ; 

To  receive,  is  the  first  thing  in  a  sincere  disciple.  To 
treasure  up  or  carefully  keep,  designates  another  and  higher 
degree  of  readiness  to  obey,  inasmuch  as  it  shows  the  value 
put  upon  the  instructions.  This  is  the  beginning  of  the 
protasis,  which  is  continued,  by  coordinate  conditional 
clauses,  throughout  the  three  following  verses. 

(2)  So  as  to  make  thine  ear  attentive  to  wisdom,  and  incline  thine 
heart  to  understanding. 


ttJ|Dfi  means  to  erect  (or  prick  up,  as  we  say)  the 
ear,  i.  e.  to  put  it  in  a  listening  attitude.  So  the  Germans  : 
Die  Ohren  spitzen.  When  the  ear  of  any  animal  is  flexible, 
it  is  erected  in  listening,  in  order  to  catch  any  sound  more 
easily.  The  version  above  gives  the  meaning  for  substance  ; 
it  would  hardly  do  to  translate  prick  up  thine  ears,  for  with 
us  this  borders  on  the  vulgar  style.  —  The  Inf.  mode  here 
seems  alien  from  the  other  forms  of  verbs  in  the  paragraph. 
But  it  is  not  unfrequent  to  substitute  this,  with  a  b  prefix 
(as  here)  in  the  room  of  an  Imperf.  tense.  It  serves  to 
vary  the  construction.  —  The  form  ntarn  (r.  HM3)  exhibits  the 
normal  Imperf.  here.  Both  wisdom  and  understanding  are 
abstracts,  and  so  have  the  article  (as  is  more  usual)  before 
them,  §  107.3.  c.  —  ^,  from  aWaab;  hence  the  Dagh. 
forte. 

(3)  Yea,  if  thou  wilt  call  for  discrimination,  and  utter  aloud  thy 
voice  for  understanding. 

The  ^3  here  is  simply  an  intensive  ;  see  under  1:  17  above. 


PART  I—  CHAP.  II.  4-6.  159 

—  Wia,  from  "pa  to  distinguish,  to  discriminate,  may  be  well 
rendered  as  it  is  above.  —  M3ian  is  indeed  of  the  same  root,  but 
by  usage  it  rather  designates  the  consequences  of  discrimina 
tion,  i.  e.  intelligence  or  knowledge.  —  inn  ,  to  give  forth,  and 
here  (ab  exigentia  loci)  to  utter  aloud.  —  The  design  of  the 
verse  is  to  exhibit  earnest  request  for  wisdom;  for  such 
earnestness  of  course  would  be  uttered  with  a  loud  voice. 

(4)  Jf  tliou  wilt  seek  for  her  as  silver,  and  search  her  out  us  hidden 
treasures. 

As  silver,  i.  e.  as  men  usually  seek  for  silver,  viz.,  with 
eagerness  or  earnestness.  —  nstjonn  ,  for  ns-  ,  see  p.  289,  in 
col.  B;  nn  (and  not  nn)  because  of  the  Guttural;  the  verb 
is  in  Kal.  —  As  hidden  treasures,  i.  e.  (as  before)  with  such 
eagerness  as  men  usually  exhibit  in  search  of  such  treasures. 

The  protasis  ends  here,  and  now  comes  the  apodosis, 
ushered  in  by  "pan  tz*  . 

(5)  Then  shalt  them  understand  the  fear  of  Jehovah,  and  acquire 
a  knowledge  of  God. 


narr\  is  the  usual  Hebrew  designation  of  true  piety  ; 
not  fear  in  the  sense  of  terror,  but  in  that  of  reverence. 
To  Jind  knowledge  means  to  acquire  it,  to  get  possession  of 
it.  Tfie  fear  of  Jehovah  is  a  treasure,  Is.  33  :  6  ;  it  is  also 
a  refuge  in  times  of  danger  and  trouble,  Prov.  14:20, 
comp.  also  Ps.  19  :  10.  115:11.  All  true  wisdom  leads  to 
a  knowledge  of  God. 

(6)  For  Jehovah  will  communicate  wisdom;  from  his  mouth  is 
knowledge  and  understanding. 

The  ground  of  the  preceding  assurance  is  here  given. 
The  connection  is  thus  :  '  Wonder  not  at  the  promises  made, 
for  [->s  causal]  Jehovah  gives  wisdom,  and  from  his 
mouth  cometh  knowledge.'  Top  means  what  his  mouth 
utters,  viz.  his  words.  These  are  the  sources  of  all  true 
wisdom. 


160  PART  I—  CHAP.  II.  7—9. 

(7)  He  keeps  in  store  help  for  the  upright,  —  a  shield  for  those  who 
walk  blamelessly. 

The  Kethibh  would  be  normally  pointed  thus  :  "jaxsi  ;  but 
the  Qeri  bids  us  read  IBS?  ,  which  is  right,  because  this  verb 
is  a  continuation  of  ",fp  in  v.  6,  which  is  in  the  Imperfect.  — 
•JW  ,  a  shield,  is  governed  by  ",fes^  mentally  carried  forward. 
This  clause  might  perhaps  be  translated  thus  :  a  shield  is  he, 
etc.  But  if  this  was  the  shape  of  the  sentiment  designed  to 
be  communicated  by  the  writer,  he  would  of  course  have 
said  :  awn  ^  .  —  en  is  used  adverbially. 

(8)  He  will  pi-otect  the  paths  of  justice  :  he  will  watch  over  the  way 
of  his  saints. 


^lisb  is  another  example  of  the  Inf.  in  continuation  of  the 
Imperf.  ;  see  the  remarks  on  the  same  construction  under  v. 
"2.  above.  —  *^n5n  for  l^On  ,  as  the  Qeri  informs  us.  If  the 
Kethibh  is  retained  as  a  singular,  then  it  must  be  pointed 
'iT'&n  ,  which,  generically  taken,  would  amount  to  the  same 
as  the  Qeri.  The  Todh  before  such  a  l  suffix  is  sometimes 
omitted  in  writing.  This  verse  merely  enlarges  upon  and 
enforces  the  preceding  one. 

The  three  following  verses  are  a  second  apodosis,  begin 
ning,  like  the  preceding  group  of  four,  with  "pan  tx  . 

(9)  Then  shalt  thou  understand  right  and  justice  and  uprightness, 
—  every  good  path. 

The  accents  throw  n^"di"2l  into  the  second  clause.  But 
if  it  belongs  there,  we  should  expect  the  *i  before  it  to  be 
omitted  ;  as  it  in  fact  is,  before  the  next  and  final  clause. 
The  whole  verse  is,  first,  an  accumulation  of  the  particular 
things  to  be  sought  after  ;  and  then  follows  a  generic  clause, 
which  cpmprises  everything  besides  which  is  good.  The 
word  j»a$  or  track  is  here  =  Tfyx  ,  i.  e.  it  signifies  manner  of 
life,  pursuit,  and  so  the  meaning  is  :  l  Every  pursuit  in  which 
may  be  found.' 


PART  I—  CHAP.  II.  10,  11.  161 

(10)  For  wisdom  shall  come  into  thy  heart,  and  knowledge  shall  be 
pleasant  to  thy  soul. 

13  ,  for,  causal.  It  is  implied  also  before  the  following 
three  clauses,  just  as  in  vs.  6,  7.  The  masc.  dsr  (in  pause) 
is  noticeable  ;  for  rr'n  seems  to  be  unequivocally  fern.  We 
might  translate  thus  :  As  to  knowledge  —  there  shall  be  pleas 
ure  to  thy  soul.  This  seems  to  have  been  the  mode  of  con 
ception  in  the  mind  of  the  writer,  who  appears  to  have  used 
the  verb  in  an  impersonal  way.  However,  the  anomaly  in 
question  stands  not  alone  ;  see  the  like  discrepancy  in  gender, 
in  the  Chrori.  2  :  48.  Gen.  4:7.  Is.  21:  2.  Lev.  2:8.  13  :  14, 
and  many  more  examples  in  Ges.  Lehrgeb.  p.  71  G.  The 
strictness  of  concord  is  not  rigidly  carried  out  in  Hebrew, 
either  as  to  gender  or  number.  See  Ges.  ut  supra. 

(11)  Reflection  shall  watch  over  thec  ;  understanding  shall  preserve 
thee. 


is  here  used  in  the  good  sense,  indicating  repeated 
thinking  or  reflection  on  a  subject.  —  The  last  verb  (a  verb 
",£)  preserves  the  3  in  the  Imperf.  ;  which  is  not  frequent, 
except  Gutturals  follow  it.  Examples,  however,  are  not 
wanting,  §  65.  2.  n.  1.  The  fi2—  has  an  assimilated  2  in  it, 
and  tj  is  written  (and  so  not  unfrequently)  with  the  parag. 
n-  .  —  As  to  the  course  of  sentiment,  there  is  first  ti  promise 
of  benefit,  and  then  a  promise  that  this  shall  be  rendered 
stable  by  protection.  The  same  order  appears  in  vs.  6,  7, 
above. 

In  the  second  half  of  the  chapter,  the  discourse  takes  a  new  direction. 
The  blessings  of  wisdom  and  knowledge,  of  guidance  and  protection, 
have  already  been  set  before  those  addressed,  and  also  deliverance 
from  evil.  But  there  is  one  special  evil,  that  has  not  yet  been  brought 
particularly  into  view,  in  this  address.  It  is  that  of  incontinence.  True 
wisdom  will  be  certain  to  deliver  those  who  possess  it,  from  all  defiling 
and  destructive  intercourse  with  the  unchaste.  This  constitutes  the 
closing  theme  of  warning  ;  and  the  writer  is  so  much  in  earnest,  that 
he  exhibits  more  than  usual  fervor,  and  more  of  poetic  cnergv.  This 
14* 


162  PART  I— CHAP.  II.  12—14. 

shows  that  the  times  were  fraught  with  danger  as  to  the  vice  in  ques 
tion,  and  that  there  was  urgent  need  of  guarding  the  young  against  it. 
Something  like  to  this  is  also  true,  in  respect  to  men  of  deception  and 
falsehood,  whom  vs.  12 — 15  have  brought  into  view,  and  have  also 
warned  the  youth  to  shun  them.  But  when  the  Avriter  comes  to  his 
last  theme,  which  has  been  described  above,  he  shows  that  he  had 
adopted  an  arrangement  in  his  discourse  designedly  climactic.  His 
greatest  energy,  therefore,  is  developed  at  the  close.] 

(12)  That  they  may  deliver  thee  from  the  way  of  evil,  from  the 
man  who  spcaketh  perversely. 

The  preceding  verse  speaks  of  safe  keeping  by  reflection 
and  understanding.  Here  the  object  of  such  a  guardianship 
is  set  forth.  So  we  have  a  b  before  the  Inf.,  designed  to 
express  the  idea,  in  order  that.  The  subject  of  ^Btt  (Hiph. 
Inf.  of  bxa)  is  reflection  and  understanding.  —  sn ,  evil,  a  noun 
here,  but  still  qualifying  Tp'n .  —  rnastttt  (from  ^srj),lit.  per 
versities.  It  is  an  abstract  plur.  here,  used  adverbially,  (so 
rendered  in  the  version),  or  it  may  be  rendered  perverse 
things,  i.  e.  deceptive,  mendacious,  fraudulent  things. 

(13)  Who  forsake  the  paths  of  uprightness,  to  walk  in  the  ways  of 
darkness. 

In  v.  12,  isix  is  generic ;  accordingly  we  here  find  the 
plural,  the  subject  being  the  same  as  before.  —  rpbb  (see  on 
1:  2  for  b)  in  order  that  they  may  walk.  That  is,  in  other 
words  :  "  They  choose  darkness  rather  than  light,  because 
their  deeds  are  evil." 

(14)  Who  rejoice  to  do  evil,  who  exult  in  evil  perversions. 

This  verse  adds  to  the  description,  by  showing  that  they 
do  evil  with  a  strong  feeling  of  gratification.  —  ^:P  (in  Kal) 
has  no  subject  expressed,  (if  there  were  one,  it  would  be  ^K), 
because  the  relative  n  in  the  Part.  (=  -iisx  )  is  carried  forward 
mentally,  and  supplies  the  true  subject.  —  The  an  at  the  end 
of  the  verse,  serves  to  strengthen  the  preceding  noun,  and 
to  make  it  more  intensive. 


PART  I—  CHAP.  II.  15—17.  163 

(15)  Whose  ways  are  distorted,  and  in  their  paths  they  are  perverse. 

Distorted  or  tortuous  ways  means  deceitful  and  fraudulent 
conduct.  —  Perverse  means  substantially  the  same  thing,  viz., 
first,  literally,  that  which  is  bent,  crooked;  and  therefore, 
secondly,  its  tropical  meaning  is  fraudulent.  The  Part. 
comes  from  Mb  ,  flectere. 

Thus  much  for  the  first  four  verses  of  this  second  division.  The 
next  four  are  occupied  with  the  subject  of  the  strange  woman. 

(16)  That  they  may  deliver  thee  from  the  strange  woman,  from,  the 
stranger  who  maketh  smooth  her  words. 


snb  stands  in  the  same  connection  as  in  v.  12,  i.  e.  reflec 
tion  and  understanding  (v.  11)  will  so  guard  thee,  as  to 
deliver,  etc.  —  fT-iT  ,  participial  noun,  from  ^Tjlit.  one  who 
turns  aside,  deflects,  i.  e.  from  the  paths  of  rectitude,  and 
usually  applied  to  a  foreigner  as  an  enemy.  But  the  idea 
of  a  foreign  origin  is  not  essential  (indeed  it  is  not  admissi 
ble)  here,  if  we  compare  the  remaining  verses.  The  woman 
in  question  acts  as  foreign  women  were  wont  to  do  ;  and 
hence  the  name  of  stranger  is  applied  to  her.  —  *na|  lit.  desig 
nates  one  of  foreign  origin  ;  but  as  the  next  verse  speaks  of 
the  woman  in  question  as  forgetting  the  covenant  of  her  God* 
she  must  of  course  be  a  Hebrew,  and  merely  one  who  acts 
like  a  heathen.  We  often  speak  of  heathen  men  as  living  in 
our  midst,  meaning  merely  to  designate  those  who  act  like 
heathen.  So  the  writer  before  us.  —  The  pron.  "idx  is 
omitted  before  ft^EN  ,  as  it  very  often  is  in  poetry,  and  not 
unfrequently  even  in  prose,  §  121.  3.  —  To  make  smooth  her 
words  means  to  speak  enticing  and  flattering  words. 

(17)  Who  forsaketh  the  friend  of  her  youth,  and  forgetteth  the 
covenant  of  her  God. 


^fc'S  ,  plur.  form,  in  order  to  express  the  idea  of  extended 
time,  §  106.  2.  a.  —  nnaia  ,  (in  Pause  which  makes  the  a), 
the  Perf.  being  used  in  order  to  designate  a  continuing  or 


164  PART  I— CHAP.  II.  18,  10. 

abiding  period  =  has  forgotten  and  is  forgetting.  —  The  cove 
nant  of  her  God,  shows  that,  in  the  ceremony  of  marriage  at 
that  time,  appeal  was  made  to  God,  who  was  called  to  wit 
ness  the  vows  and  promises  made.  The  adulterous  woman 
(and  such  is  the  one  meant  here)  breaks  these  vows,  or  this 
covenant.  She  has  a  double  load  of  guilt,  that  which 
respects  her  husband,  and  that  which  has  respect  to  God. 
All  this  refers  to  some  custom  at  weddings,  in  regard  to 
vows  and  promises,  which  the  Pent,  has  not  enjoined  or 
described,  but  which  the  times  and  the  exigencies  of  the 
case  had  rendered  necessary. 

(18)  For  her  house  sinketh  down  to  the  dead,  and  her  paths  to  the 
shades. 

As  nntj  now  stands  accented  (on  the  penult),  it  must  come 
from  nvd,  and  is  third  pers.  fern.  But  its  subject,  n^a,  is 
nearly  always  masc.  There  can  be  little  difficulty  in  the 
case,  however,  if  any  one  consults  the  list  of  common  gender 
nouns  in  Ewald's  Grarnm.  §  174.  d,  which  expressly  includes 
rna ;  and  so  decides  Bertheau,  in  his  Comm.  on  this  verse.  — 
I  have  rendered  r.sra  (death)  by  dead,  the  abstract  being  used 
for  the  concrete ;  and  so  this  first  clause  of  the  verse  is  like 
the  last.  —  To  the  shades,  or  gJtosts,  i.  e.  the  manes  or  umbrae 
of  the  Latins ;  for  shades  has  often  this  sense  in  English. 
—  D^KS"!  means  ghosts,  spectres,  inasmuch  as  it  signifies 
debilcs,  flaccidi,  i.  e.  weak,  withered,  having  neither  blood 
nor  energetic  vitality.  The  popular  belief  among  the  He 
brews  was,  that  the  region  of  the  dead  (biata  the  under  world) 
was  peopled  by  such  umbrae.  —  Sentiment :  '  Her  habitation 
will  sink  into  certain  destruction  and  ruin.'  There  is  plainly 
a  reference  to  the  earth  as  swallowing  up  Korah  and  his 
company  ;  this  is,  therefore,  a  loud  note  of  warning  to  the  im 
prudent  and  unsuspecting  youth,  who  may  be  enticed  by  the 
adulteress.  It  is  still  more  fully  developed  in  the  next  verse. 

(19)  All  who  go  in  unto  her,  return  not ;  they  do  not  attain  to  the 
paths  of  life. 


PART  I— CHAP.  II.  20—22.  165 

In  •jtosittS'i ,  the  accent  is  drawn  down  on  the  ultimate,  by 
the  i  paragogic,  and  therefore  Q  under  the  Yodh  of  the 
first  syllable  is  dropped.  —  wwi* ,  Hipli.  of  sirs ,  because  the 
Kal  form  is  not  in  use.  —  Sentiment :  '  The  destruction  of 
all  who  visit  her  is  certain  and  irremediable.' 

(20)  So  that  them  shouldstgo  in  the  way  of  the  good,  and  keep  the 
paths  of  the  righteous. 

That  is,  all  these  warnings  are  uttered  that,  in  order  that, 
etc.,  "jSpclb;  which  is  like  to  the  b  at  the  beginning  of  vs.  12, 
1 6.  —  The  way  of  the  good,  or  path  of  the  righteous,  is  the 
only  way  of  peace  and  safety. 

(21)  For  the  upright  shall  inhabit  the  land,  and  men  of  integrity 
shall  remain  therein. 

Men  of  integrity,  CIBIEFI  ,  are  those  who  do  not  walk  in  the 
crooked  and  perverted  ways  mentioned  in  v.  15 ;  comp. 
Matt.  5  :  5.  —  >nr^ ,  Niph.  Imperf.  of  in;> ,  lit.  shall  be  left, 
or  be  remaining.  The  meaning  is,  that  while  the  wicked  are 
cut  off  from  the  land,  the  upright  shall  remain  or  be  left  therein. 

(22)  But  the  wicked  shall  be  cut  off  from  the  land,  and  the  trench, 
erous  be  swept  away  from  it. 

This  accords  with  the  usual  tenor  of  threatenings  in  the 
Old  Testament.  "  The  wicked  shall  not  live  out  half  their 
days."  Premature  and  violent  death  will  come  upon  them. 
—  ins1;  makes  some  little  difficulty,  being,  as  it  would  seem, 
from  nw ,  and  in  the  Imperf.  Kal.  Lit.  they  will  sweep  them 
selves  away,  i.  e.  tear  themselves  away,  from  the  land.  I 
should  prefer  a  root  nno  (like  mrr),  and  point  it  in  Niphal, 
liUST [,  which  would  give  of  course  a  passive  sense.  There 
is  another  way,  however,  of  solving  the  difficulty.  Render 
thus  :  And  the  treacherous  shall  they  sweep  from  the  land,  i.  e. 
the  people  or  magistracy  will  sweep  away  the  c^a'a ,  the 
verb  having  (as  often)  an  indef.  subject  which:  is  not  ex- 


166  PART  I— CHAP.  III.  1,  2. 

pressed.  This  is  the  most  simple  construction,  as  the  text 
now  stands ;  and  this  amounts  to  the  use  of  a  passive  voice, 
Ewald,  §  272.  b.  See  Roedig.  Gramm.  §  134.  3.  b. 


CHAP.  in.  1—35. 

[This  chapter  has  a  triplex  division,  viz.  (a)  vs.  1 — 10.  (6)  vs.  11 — 
20.  (c)  vs.  21 — 35.  Each  of  these  divisions  is  introduced  by  the  com- 
pellative,  132 .  The  first  division  has  artistic  marks  about  it.  It  is 
subdivided  into  five  couplets,  each  of  which  consists  of  two  verses. 
In  every  one,  the  second  verse  of  the  couplet  exhibits  a  promise  of 
good,  consequent  on  obedience  to  what  is  prescribed. 

A  summary  of  contents  is  rather  a  difficult  task,  since  there  is  so 
much  of  the  gnomic  stamp  in  the  chapter.  In  some  cases  several 
verses  are  connected  ;  but  there  is  no  long-continued  series  respecting 
the  same  subject.  The  first  division  (vs.  1 — 10)  comprises  summarily 
this  :  My  son,  attend  diligently  to  my  instruction ;  for  long  life  and 
peace  will  be  the  consequence,  vs.  1,  2.  Never  neglect  kindness  and 
faithfulness,  for  these  will  render  thee-  an  object  of  favor  to  God  and 
man,  vs.  3,  4.  Trust  implicitly  in  God,  and  he  will  direct  thy  ways, 
vs.  5,  6.  Be  not  wise  in  thine  own  conceit,  but  fear  God,  who  will 
keep  thee  from  evil,  and  make  thy  condition  safe  and  salutary,  vs. 
7,  8.  Honor  Jehovah  with  thy  substance,  and  he  will  make  abundant 
provision  for  thy  support  and  comfort,  vs.  9,  10.] 

(1)  My  son,  forget  not  my  instruction  ;  let  thy  heart  keep  my  com 
mandments 

The  original  sense  of  rni'n  is  here  retained,  viz.,  instruc 
tion,  from  rrn  to  teach.  —  "THEE  (read  mits-vo-thi)  is  from 
Mis ,  with  a  1  movable  consonant.  —  "ian ,  with  a  radical 
assimilated,  while  in  2 :  11.  5 :  2,  it  is  retained  in  full,  in  the 
same  tense.  This  shows  an  oscillation  of  usage,  in  regard 
to  the  Imperf.  of  verbs  ",2 .  The  Imperf.  here,  as  is  very 
common,  is  hortative. 

(2)  For  length  of  days,  and  years  of  life,  and  also  peace,  shall  be 
added  to  thee. 

This  is  of  like  tenor  with  the  fifth  commandment,  which 
has  the  same  promise.  Long  life  is  a  very  frequent  prom- 


PART  I—CHAP.  III.  3,  4.  167 

ise  to  the  obedient;  comp.  Prov.  9:11.  10:27.  On  the 
contrary,  the  impious  are  soon  cut  off;  see  2:22.  —  And 
also  peace,  since  this  commences  the  second  clause,  it  needs 
some  note  of  distinction.  By  rendering  n  and  also,  we  make 
a  distinction,  and  one  quite  within  the  province  of  this  par 
ticle.  That  the  wicked  shall  not  have  peace  is  clear ;  see 
Is.  48:22.  57:21.—  Will  they  add  —  who  or  what  will 
add?  Apparently  the  Nom. or  subject  is  the  instruction  and 
commands  of  v.  1.  But  the  verb  is  masc.,  the  nouns  both 
fern. ;  of  course  the  Nom.  indefinite  must  be  supposed  = 
they  shall  add,  which  is  equivalent  to  a  passive  ;  and  so  I 
have  translated  it  (see  §  134.3)  by  the  passive.  —  woi1* 
might  be  rendered,  cause  to  increase  ;  but  Kal  has  no  Imperf. 
in  use,  and  Hiphil  is  its  substitute ;  and  so  we  may  render 
simply  by  add;  but  this  means  here  increase. 

(3)  Let  not  kindness  and  faithfulness  forsake  thee ;  bind  them  on 
thy  neck,  inscribe  them  on  the  tablet  of  thy  heart. 

That  is,  demean  not  thyself  so  as  to  compel  them  to  for 
sake  thee,  or,  treat  them  not  with  neglect  so  as  to  alienate 
them,  —  lOtt  means  kindness  of  disposition  toward  others, 
love  of  a  friend,  or  the  love  of  God  for  us.  —  n^X  (apoc. 
form  of  P.ssx)  means  faithfulness  or  truthfulness,  prop 
erly  that  which  can  be  relied  on,  that  which  is  stable.  — 
Bind  them  on  thy  neck,  i.  e.  wear  them  as  a  conspicuous 
ornament  of  honor,  (see  on  1:  9)  ;  for  such  were  chains 
about  the  neck,  set  with  rubies.  —  Inscribe  on  the  tablet  of 
the  heart,  i.  e.  inscribe  them  on  a  tablet  which  will  be  always 
present  with  thee,  and  always  reminding  thee  of  thy  duty  ; 
comp.  Jer.  31:  33.  The  c_  plur.  suff.  after  each  Imper. 
verb,  refers  to  kindness  and  faithfulness  in  v.  3  ;  and  not, 
as  C.  B.  Michaelis  and  others  say,  to  instruction  and  com 
mand  in  v.  1,  for  these  are  both  fem.,  while  the  suff.  is 
masculine. 

(4)  And  thou  shalt  find  favor  and  good  success  in  the  sight  of  God 
and  man. 


168  PART  I—  CHAP.  III.  5-7. 


follows  another  Imper.  which  contains  a  monition, 
and  therefore,  although  Imp.  in  form,  it  here  designates  a 
promise  of  what  is  consequent  upon  obedience,  §  127.  2.  — 
bab  is  somewhat  difficult  here.  If  (with  Bertheau)  we  ren 
der  '^understanding^  (as  in  13  :  15.  Ps.  Ill:  10),  it  hardly 
seems  appropriate  ;  for  the  fact  of  having  obeyed,  shows  of 
itself  that  the  obedient  is  already  in  the  possession  of  bsto  . 
One  meaning  of  V^istt,  however,  is  successum  habuit  or 
dedit.  As  kindred  to  this  I  have  given  the  meaning  of  ^siu 
in  the  version  ;  and  then  we  have  something  that  corresponds 
•with  a  gift  now  bestowed,  and  not  before  possessed.  Ges. 
renders  it  by  felicitas,  in  his  Lex.,  which  =  our  good  luck. 

—  In  the  sight,  etc.,  i.  e.  in  the  view,  judgment,  or  opinion, 
of  both  God  and  man.     In  other  words  :  '  Thou  shalt  find 
favor  and  be  truly  prospered,  God  and  man  both  bearing 
witness  to  thy  well-directed  efforts.' 

(5)  Trust  in  Jehovah  with  all  thine  heart,  and  lean  not  upon  thine 
own  understanding. 

This  inculcates  humility,  and  stands  opposed  to  pride  and 
self-confidence.  —  bx,  to,  toward;  so  the  Heb.,  but  in  our 
own  idiom  we  say  :  lean  upon. 

(6)  In  all  thy  ways  acknowledge  him.  and  he  will  make  straight 
thy  paths. 

This  verse  connects  intimately  with  the  preceding  one,  and 
presents  a  good  reason  for  following  the  advice  there  given. 

—  i"n  with  the  suff.  becomes  sinr1-;  .  —  ion  has  an  emphatic 
sense,  and  it  is  inserted  for  this  reason.     The  meaning  is,  he 
and  none  else.  —  Tir^  is  reg.  Piel  Imperfect. 

(7)  Be  not  wise  in  thine  own  view:  fear  Jehovah,  and  turn  away 
from  evil. 

That  is,  instead  of  confiding  in  your  own  sagacity  and 
ability  to  secure  your  peace  and  welfare,  fear  God  and  avoid 


PART  I— CHAP.  III.  8—10.  169 

doing  evil.     This  is  the  safer  and  wiser  course  ;  for  the  fear 
of  God  will  guard  you  against  the  doing  of  evil. 

(8)  It  shall  be  healing  to  thy  body,  and  refreshment  to  thy  bones. 

inn ,  of  the  optative  or  voluntative  form,  but  as  it  has  no 
*  to  mark  an  apodosis,  it  must  be  taken  as  indicating  prom 
ise  ;  comp.  5:  18.  7:9.  —  ^"-l^?,  from  ^lizj  with  suff.,  with 
Hholem  shortened  by  its  standing  in  a  mixed  syllable,  lit. 
thy  navel.  Being  the  central  point  of  the  body,  it  is  virtu 
ally  taken  as  the  representative  of  the  whole.  —  isip'r ,  lit. 
irrigation,  figuratively  refreshment.  Sentiment :  '  The  fear 
of  God  will  give  healing  in  sickness,  and  refreshment  in  a 
time  of  need.'  —  Bones  represent  the  substantial  parts  of  the 
human  frame,  which,  when  wearied  or  exhausted,  needs  rest 
and  refreshment. 

(9)  Honor  Jehovah  with  thy  substance,  and  with  the  first  fruits  of 
all  thy  produce. 

This  refers  to  the  precepts  of  the  Law,  which  direct  that 
of  all  the  first  fruits  an  offering  shall  be  made  to  God,  Ex. 
23:19.  Lev.  2:12,  26.  19:23.  Deut.  18:4,  11.  comp. 
Gen.  28  :  22.  Sentiment :  '  To  show  gratitude  to  God  for 
his  blessings,  is  one  of  our  leading  duties.' 

(10)  Then  shall  thy  granaries  be  filled  abundantly,  and  thy  presses 
shall  burst  forth  with  new  wine. 

The  blessings  of  plenty  shall  be  copiously  bestowed  on  the 
obedient.  The  corn  and  the  wine  shall  abound  and  overflow. — 
yyo ,  used  adverbially.  —  TB'pnp.'i ,  placed  first  emphatically. 
The  shape  of  the  Hebrew  seems  to  be  thus :  '  And  as  to 
new  wine,  thy  presses  shall  pour  it  forth.'  So  the  accents 
indicate. 

Second  Division,  vs.  11 — 20. 

[It  is  difficult  to  make  out  a  connected  plan  here.    Vs.  11,12,  enjoin 
diligent  attention  to  the  chastisements  which  Providence  inflicts.    Vs. 
15 


170  PART  I— CHAP.  III.  11,  12. 

13,  seq.  relapse  into  the  praises  of  Wisdom,  and  the  precious  rewards 
that  she  bestows :  which  are  better  than  silver,  gold^  rubies,  and  all 
choice  things,  vs.  13 — 15.  Length  of  days,  riches,  honor,  pleasure, 
and  peace,  arc  all  within  her  gift,  vs.  16,  17.  She  is  a  tree  of  life, 
which  makes  those  blessed  who  lay  hold  of  her,  v.  18.  Jehovah 
founded  the  earth  by  her  assistance,  and  established  the  heavens ;  he 
clave  the  abysses,  and  made  the  clouds  to  distil  rain,  vs.  19,  20. 

It  is  apparent,  therefore,  that  there  is  no  visible  connection  between 
vs.  11,  12,  and  the  sequel.  But  vs.  13 — 20  are  closely  united  in  one 
theme.] 

(11)  My  son,  despise  not  the  chastening  of  the  Lord,  nor  loath 
his  reproof.       * 

This  comes  appropriately  after  a  promise  of  blessings ; 
for  it  is  as  much  as  to  say :  *  You  must  not  expect  that  all 
will  be  prosperity.  Adversity  will  come;  God's  chastening 
hand  will  smite ;  but  do  thou  not  shrink  from  it,  nor  repine, 
for  it  is  the  hand  of  fatherly  discipline,  smiting  for  your 
spiritual  good  —  smiting  in  order  to  keep  you  humble,  and 
to  teach  you  how  dependent  you  are  x>n  him/  — "pF*?  is 
stronger  than  the  preceding  verb,  and  the  verse  is  climactic. 
Our  English  version  (weary)  does  not  give  the  true  sense 
of  this  word,  since  it  is  too  weak  to  express  the  Hebrew. 

(12)  For  whom  Jehovah  lovcth  he  chasteneth.  even  as  a  father  the 
son  in  whom  he  delighteth. 

Chastisement,  in  the  way  of  discipline,  is  only  a  fruit  of 
kmdness;  see  Deut.  8:5.  Ps.  118:18.  Prov.  13:24  — 
nini  demands  ^rx  to  be  supplied  before  it,  since  it  consti 
tutes  a  relative  clause.  It  is  singular  that  the  Sept.  should 
here  have  read  ^xa*1 ,  and  rendered  it  [taGTtyoi,  chastens, 
instead  of  reading  the  text  nxa*! ,  and  as  a  father.  In  Heb. 
12:  6,  this  version  is  followed.  This  shows  that  the  Sev 
enty  had  no  vowel-points  to  guide  them.  —  The  verb  rpa'P 
is  to  be  mentally  supplied  before  *2-rs< ,  from  the  preceding 
clause.  The  word  SX3,  as  a  father,  men-ly  qualifies  the 
manner  of  the  chastisement.  In  other  words  :  '  If  promised 


PART  I—  CHAP.  III.  13,  14.  171 

prosperity  should  be  interrupted,  and  suffering  come,  remem 
ber  still,  that  when  God  chastens  the  obedient,  it  is  not  from 
want  of  love  for  them,  but  only  with  a  design  to  try  and  to 
purify  them.  Remember,  moreover,  that,  such  being  the 
case,  he  will  chastise  in  measure  and  in  mercy,  even  as  an 
affectionate  father  does.' 

(13)  Blessed  is  the  man  Avho  hath  found  wisdom,  even  the  man  who 
draweth  forth  understanding. 

Here  the  two  tenses  (in  a  kind  of  contrast)  have  a  special 
significance.  xxa  ,  Perf.,  has  found  and  stiff  Jinds  ;  p"^ 
(Imperf.  Hiph.  of  pis),  lit.  makes  to  come  forth,  i.  e.  habitu 
ally  draws  forth  from  its  fountain.  The  Targum  well  ren 
ders  here  by  spS1?,  causes  to  gush  forth  ;  see  Ps.  144:  13. 
Is.  58  :  10.  The  Imperf.  designates  that  the  wise  man  does 
this  habitually,  or  that  he  is  doing  and  will  do  this.  The 
two  clauses  stand  related  almost  as  past  habitual  obtaining 
does  to  future  acquiring  which  will  be  continual.  In  the 
second  case,  the  causing  wisdom  to  come  forth,  implies  that  he 
will  obtain  it  from  God,  the  source  of  all  good  ;  comp.  Prov. 
8  :  35.  18  :  22,  for  the  like  sentiment. 

(14)  For  the  gain  thereof  is  better  than  the  gain  of  silver;  and  the 
produce  thereof  than  fine  gold. 


"inb  means  lit.  gain  resulting  from  traffic.  —  •p*in  is  a 
word  whose  etymology  has  perplexed  the  critics.  Ges.  says, 
that  "  it  designates  gold,  sive  a  colore  acuto  dictum  est,  sive 
quod  avide  appetitur  ab  hominibus."  Certainly  not  a  very 
satisfactory  etymology.  Pure  gold  is  rather  dull  of  color 
than  acute  or  sharp  ;  and  the  avide  appetitur  in  this  word, 
must  be  referred  to  the  Arabic  for  any  support.  There  is  a 
more  easy  solution.  The  ancient  mines  in  hither  Asia,  as 
well  as  those  now  in  California,  doubtless  yielded  gold,  more 
or  less  of  which  was  like  the  pure  lumps  now  found  in  the 
latter  region.  This  was  of  course  in  the  highest  repute  ; 


172  PART  I— CHAP.  III.  15—17. 

for  what  was  native,  could  not  have  been  alloyed  by  any 
fraud.  Now  as  one  sense  of  yyi  is  to  dig,  fodere,  so  f'Hn 
lit.  means,  that  which  is  dug  out ;  and  this  appellation  seems 
to  be  applied  to  gold  xaz'  l^o^r,  as  being  the  most  valuable 
of  all  which  is  dug  out  of  the  earth.  All  the  ancient  ver 
sions  understand  the  word  as  meaning  the  better  sort  of  gold. 
Sentiment :  '  Wisdom  is  better  than  the  most  splendid 
wealth/ 

(15)  More  precious  is  it  than  pearls;  and  all  thy  jewels  cannot 
compare  with  i{. 

The  tenor  of  the  discourse  is  climactic.  Pearls  and  jewels 
are  valued  as  the  highest  kind  of  riches.  —  ta^iQ  is  elsewhere 
always  written  &WB,  (see  Job  28  :  18.  Prov.  8:  11)  ;  and 
so  we  have  it  in  the  Qeri  of  the  margin.  One  cannot  well 
doubt,  that  the  second  3  has  fallen  out  in  the  Kethibh  here. 
Jewels  are  figuratively  named  ^^BFt  thy  desirable  things,  be 
cause  they  are  things  so  much  desired  and  sought  after  in 
the  East,  for  the  adornment  of  both  sexes.  See  a  like  com 
parison  in  order  to  show  the  worth  of  wisdom,  in  Job  28 :  12 
— 28,  truly  a  most  splendid  description.  —  liuj'i  (yish^vu) 
from  STTiT  with  1  medial  consonant. 

(16)  Length  of  days  is  in  her  right  hand;  in  her  left  are  riches  and 
honor. 

As  to  long  life,  compare  9:11;  also  vs.  7 — 10  above,  and 
v.  2.  As  to  riches  and  honor,  comp.  8:18.  22 :  4.  —  In  her 
right  hand,  and  in  her  left,  i.  e.  she  dispenses  her  blessings 
with  both  hands,  or,  in  other  words,  abundantly. 

(17)  Her  ways  are  ways  of  pleasantness,  and  all  her  paths  are  peace. 

Her  ways  means  the  ways  which  she  points  out  and  recom 
mends.  —  03?b ,  whatever  is  lovely,  pleasant,  agreeable.  —  Peace 
is  a  word  expressive  of  the  opposite  not  only  of  all  disquie 
tude,  but  also  of  all  alarm  from  fear  of  evil. 


PART  I— CHAP.  in.  18—20.  173 

(18)  A  tree  of  life  is  she  to  those  who  lay  hold  upon  her ;  and  those 
who  grasp  her,  shall  each  be  blessed. 

A  tree  of  life  is  a  tree  whose  fruit  imparts  or  preserves 
life  ;  with  reference,  perhaps,  to  the  tree  of  life  in  the  garden 
of  Eden.  —  "NSKT?  ,  sing,  number,  while  the  subject  apparently 
is  plural.  But  this  word  here  is  what  grammarians  call  an 
individualizing  predicate.  In  other  words,  when  the  subject  is 
plural  and  comprehends  a  mass,  the  predicate,  by  being  sim 
ply  put  in  the  singular,  makes  the  declaration  contained  in 
it  applicable  to  each  and  every  individual  of  the  mass.  I 
have  therefore  so  rendered  it  in  the  version.  Comp.  for  like 
usage,  Ex.  31:  14.  Gen.  27:  29  (bis),  comp.  12  :  3.  Zach. 
11:5;  see  Ewald,  §  309.  a.  On  the  other  hand,  the  sing, 
often  goes  over,  in  a  continued  construction,  into  the  plural, 
when  it  has  a  generic  and  therefore  comprehensive  mean 
ing;  see  Ew.  ib.  and  comp.  Rodig.  §  143.  4.  §  143.  1. 

(19)  Jehovah  hath  founded  the  earth  by  wisdom ;  he  hath  estab 
lished  the  heavens  by  understanding. 

This  is  the  highest  testimony  to  the  excellence  of  wisdom 
which  can  be  given.  To  the  Most  High  she  is  as  it  were  a 
counsellor.  How  invaluable,  then,  to  erring  men,  who  so 
much  need  counsel !  The  words  rrcan ,  nw ,  and  fiiintn ,  are 
so  often  interchanged  with  each  other,  that  we  may  safely  con 
clude  variety  of  diction  merely  to  be  the  object  in  view,  and 
not  the  expression  of  ideas  substantially  different  from  each 
other.  In  v.  19,  the  first  and  last  of  these  three  words  are 
obviously  of  the  same  import.  The  next  verse  gives  us  the 
other  variation,  which  is  plainly  equivalent  in  signification. 

(20)  By  his  knowledge  the  abysses  were  cleft ;  and  the  clouds  which 
distil  the  dew. 

In  Gen.  1:  6,  the  waters  (=  rvis'ifirn)  are  separated,  and  a 
part  are  congregated  above  the  firmament  and  a  part  below  ;rf 
see  v.  7  in  the  sequel  there.     It  is  this  dividing  to  which 
15* 


174  PART  I— CHAP.  III.  21. 

the  WjMa  of  the  text  refers.  It  needed  great  skill  and  wis 
dom  to  make  this  separation,  so  as  to  promote  the  most  ben 
eficial  ends.  To  the  upper  dittfi  belong  the  clouds  with 
their  aqueous  contents.  These  distil  the  waters  of  the  upper 
region  upon  the  earth,  and  fructify  it.  —  The  clouds  IBS1?; , 
distil,  i.  e.  gently  drop  or  let  fall,  viz.  the  dew.  This  is  effected 
by  his  wisdom  (here  called  n^n),  which  is  strikingly  mani 
fested  in  this  arrangement  of  the  two  abysses.  Without  the 
v-apory  dinn  above,  there  could  be  no  dew. 

Such  is  the  impassioned  and  sublime  eulogy  of  Wisdom. 
Well  may  the  writer  urge  all  his  readers,  to  strive  for  the 
attainment  of  it. 


Third  Division,  vs.  21—35. 

[The  monitor  now  resumes  his  hortatory  address  to  his  pupil,  to 
persuade  him  to  cleave  to  the  pursuit  of  wisdom.  It  will  keep  him  in 
safety  ;  he  may  lie  down  in  security  and  sleep  sweetly,  for  no  fear  of 
destruction  will  disturb  him,  since  Jehovah  is  his  keeper,  vs.  21 — 26. 
The  next  five  verses  all  begin  with  ^ ,  which  stands  before  clauses 
designed  to  be  prohibitions.  One  must  not  withhold  any  feasible  good 
from  his  neighbor ;  he  must  not  put  off  a  favor  to  him.  which  he  can 
now  do ;  he  must  not  slander  him  ;  he  must  not  causelessly  contend  with 
him ;  he  must  not  be  emulous  of  him,  vs.  27 — 31.  All  this  must  not 
be  done,  for  Jehovah  hates  the  perverse,  while  he  is  the  friend  of  the 
righteous  ;  his  curse  is  on  the  house  of  the  wicked,  while  the  habitation 
of  the  just  is  blessed,  vs.  32,  33.  Inasmuch  as  he  mocks  scorners,  and 
shows  favor  to  the  righteous,  the  wise  shall  inherit  glory,  but  shame 
shall  take  away  fools,  vs.  34,  35.] 

(21)  My  son,  let  them  not  depart  from  thy  sight ;  hold  fast  counsel 
and  reflection. 

One  difficulty  here  is,  to  find  the  plur.  masc.  subject  of 
*it^ .  Some  choose  the  two  nouns  in  the  second  clause,  and 
say  that  they  are  here  anticipated,  (as  it  sometimes  happens). 
But  both  of  these  nouns  are  feminine.  If  we  fall  back,  as 
does  Bertheau,  on  v.  1  of  the  chapter,  then  there  is  the  same 


PART  I—  CHAP.  HI.  22—24.  175 

objection.  It  is  easier,  therefore,  to  make  sitbj  refer  to  the 
various  fii'W  ,  i.  e.  things  said,  or  matters  treated  of  in  the 
context  preceding,  and  thus  give  to  the  verb  a  comprehensive 
aspect.  Meaning  :  *  Do  not  lose  sight  of  any  of  these  precepts 
or  things  inculcated.'  —  isa  ,  to  keep  or  guard  with  care,  to  hold 
fast  or  firmly.  —  n^n  (from  rra^)  counsel,  viz.  such  as  had 
now  been  given.  —  Ftatt?  ?  here  in  a  good  sense  again,  refec 
tion,  or  rather  here,  the  result  of  thought  and  reflection,  viz. 
such  a  result  as  had  been  communicated  ;  not  =  devote  your 
self  to  reflection,  for  this  would  be  expressed  by  sb-'bj<  WfeJ  . 
The  reward  follows  :  — 

(22)  And  they  shall  he  life  to  thy  soul,  and  grace  to  thy  neck. 

What  shall  be  so  ?  The  verb  is  masc.,  and  therefore  the 
subject  cannot  be  the  two  nouns  that  immediately  precede. 
The  reference,  then,  must  be  regarded  as  the  same  as  that 
implied  in  the  case  of  itV;  .  But  all  difficulty  may  be  avoided 
by  making  t^n  (plur.)  the  subject,  and  translating  thus  : 
Life  shall  be  to  thy  soul,  i.  e.  long  life,  life  par  excellence.  But 
neither  Umbreit  nor  Bertheau  notice  this.  —  Grace  to  thy 
neck,  i.  e.  they  shall  adorn  thy  neck  with  a  collet  of  honor  ; 
comp.  v.  3,  and  specially  1:  9.  If  the  first  clause  be  rendered 
as  just  proposed,  then  the  second  must  run  thus  :  Grace  shall 
be  to  thy  neck. 

(23)  Then  shalt  thou  go  on  thy  way  in  confidence  ;  and  thy  foot 
shall  not  stumble. 


riD^b  ,  the  b  of  condition,  see  Lex.  B.  3.  —  C]ian  (from  ^52), 
to  hit  or  strike  against  anything,  and  thence  to  stumble.  In 
other  words  :  '  The  journey  of  life  shall  be  safe  and  smooth.' 

(24)  When  thou  liest  down,  thou  shalt  not  be  afraid  ;  yea,  when 
thou  liest  down,  thy  sleep  shall  be  sweet. 

When  danger  is  feared,  sleep  is  apt  to  be  light  and  inter 
rupted.  Sweet  sleep  accompanies  quietude  and  a  sense  of 
security.  The  shape  of  the  Hebrew  in  the  last  clause  stands 


176  PART  I— CHAP.  in.  25—27. 

thus  :  And  shouldest  tliou  lie  down,  then  thy  sleep  shall  be  sweet. 
But  the  version  above  expresses  well  the  sense. 

(25)  Fear  not  any  sudden  terror,  nor  the  destructive  tempest  of  the 
wicked  when  it  shall  come. 

D ikrna ,  lit.  suddenly,  as  an  adverb.  But  very  often  an 
adverb  is  employed  in  the  place  of  an  adjective.  —  Tempest 
of  the  wicked  may  mean  that  tempest  which  the  wicked  raise  ; 
but  the  passive  meaning  is  better  here,  viz.  that  tempest 
which  comes,  sudden  and  furious,  to  sweep  away  the  wicked. 

(26)  For  Jehovah  will  be  thy  confidence  ;  yea,  he  will  keep  thy  foot 
from  the  snare. 

TjbbS3 ,  lit.  in  thy  confidence.  But  this  English  version 
would  not  give  the  true  meaning.  The  a  here  is  the  Beth 
essentiae  or  Beth  predicate,  and  merely  gives  intensity  to  the 
expression,  comp.  Ex.  18:4;  see  §  151.  3.  a.  y. —  lab, 
snare,  found  only  in  this  book.  Sentiment :  *  Jehovah  will 
impart  to  thee  strong  confidence,  and  keep  thee  from  concealed 
dangers.'  —  For  similar  declarations,  see  Ps.  78 :  7.  Job.  8 : 
14.  31:  24. 

(27)  Withhold  not  good  from  those  to  whom  it  belongs,  when  it  is 
in  the  power  of  thy  hand  to  do  [it.J 

Good  is  here  favor  of  any  kind  —  a  favor,  as  we  say.  — 
T^ssb ,  lit.  to  the  owners  of  it,  i.  e.  those  to  whom  it  belongs 
or  is  due.  —  b  n'htta  ,  when  it  appertains  to.  —  bx  ,  might, 
strength,  power,  probably  the  remoter  root  of  ^K,  God, 
quasi  the  Mighty  One.  For  the  same  expression  as  here,  see 
Gen.  31:29.  Mic.  2:1.  Deut.  28:32.  Neh.  5:5.  —  ^ 
has  the  vowels  of  ^pjj  (Qeri)  in  the  sing. ;  but  this  is  useless, 
for  we  may  just  as  well  read  ^tota|^.  —  rlbs'b  omits,  through 
brevity,  the  pronoun  which  I  have  supplied  in  the  version 
above.  The  next  verse  shows  more  exactly  what  the  present 
one  means. 


PART  I—  CHAP.  in.  28—31.  177 

(28)  Say  not  to  thy  friend  :  Go,  and  return,  and  to-morrow  I  will 
give,  when  it  is  with  thee. 

rpsnb  ,  with  vowels  for  the  sing.  ^Spb  ,  which  is  correct 
here  (so  Qeri),  as  the  verbs  which  follow  are  in  the  singular. 
—  fc,r}^  (Imperf.  of  ira),  here  used  absolutely  without  any 
object,  simply  designating  the  act  of  giving.  —  ^1?  and  yet  it 
is  or  there  is,  §  Io2.  B.  b.,  which  I  have  expressed  for  substance 
in  the  version.  The  Norn,  to  sh  may  be  sia  (of  v.  27)  ;  but 
it  may  also  be  rendered  impersonally  by  there  is.  The  other, 
however,  is  rather  preferable. 

(29)  Devise  not  evil  against  thy  neighbor,  when  he  dwelleth  securely 
with  thee. 


nn  ,  lit.  fabricate,  machinate,  but  trop.  as  above  ;  see 
Ezek.  21:36.  —  Dwelleth  securely  with  thee,  probably  refers 
here  to  the  sojourning  traveller,  who  seeks  a  friendly  lodge, 
and  feels  secure  in  it,  in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  hospi 
tality  nearly  universal  in  hither  Asia.  The  host  is  not  to  lay 
a  plan  for  robbing  his  guest,  who  has  entrusted  himself  to  his 
care  and  protection.  Doubtless  there  were  men  enough  who 
practised  such  breaches  of  good  faith  and  kindness  ;  and 
hence  the  necessity  of  a  warning.  Such  a  crime  was  a  very 
aggravated  one.  —  Nirn  ,  plainly  =  when  he,  and  it  is  designed 
to  be  emphatic. 

(30)  Strive  not  with  a  man  Avithout  cause,  when  he  has  done  thee 
no  harm. 

n-hn  ,  the  Kethibh  should  be  pointed  ;  but  the  Qeri  is  also 
well.  —  The  esti  here  is  explained  by  the  next  clause.  There 
is  no  proper  cause  or  ground  of  striving,  where  no  wrong  has 
been  done.  —  :£ra  ,  lit.  rendered  thee.  The  Hebrews  often 
said  :  Render  good  or  evil  to  a  person,  where  we  say  :  Do  good 
or  evil  to  him.  The  Nom.  subject  is  comprised  in  the  verb 


(31)  Be  not  envious  toward  the  man  of  violence;  and  choose  none 
of  his  ways. 


178  PART  I—  CHAP.  III.  32—35. 

X3J5FI  ,  means  a  jealous  love  or  desire,  and  indicates  a  high 
degree  of  affection  or  desire  toward  any  person  or  thing, 
which  brings  with  it  anxious  wishes  to  obtain  or  retain  it. 
Sentiment  :  '  Do  not  anxiously  covet  the  booty  which  men 
of  violence  acquire  ;  do  not  desire  any  connection  with  them.' 
—  None  of  his  ways,  i.  e.  none  of  those  ways  in  which  he 
develops  the  character  of  a  depredator. 

(32)  For  the  perverse  is  an  abomination  to  Jehovah  ;  but  with  the 
upright  is  his  secret. 

*&  is  employed  here  as  in  2  :  26,  i.  e.  to  introduce  a  new 
shade  of  thought.  It  may,  however,  be  regarded  here  (as 
also  there)  as  causal,  introducing  a  reason  for  the  preceding 
declaration.  —  iTio  =  secret  or  confidential  intercourse.  Only 
friends,  i.  e.  the  upright,  enjoy  this  privilege  ;  comp.  Job 
19  :  19.  Ps.  55  :  15,  where  a  like  sense  of  the  word  occurs. 

(33)  The  curse  of  Jehovah  is  on  the  house  of  the  wicked  ;  but  the 
habitation  of  the  righteous  he  will  bless. 

The  curse  of  Jehovah,  when  it  falls  on  the  house  of  the 
wicked,  destroys  and  eradicates  it  ;  comp.  in  Zach.  5  :  3,  seq. 
Mai.  2  :  2. 

(.'34)  When  he  mocketh  the  .scorncrs,  and  giveth  grace  to  the  humble  ; 

A  protasis,  of  which  the  following  verse  is  the  apodosis. 
Emphasis  rests  on  xin  here,  and  for  this  purpose,  indeed, 
it  is  inserted.  Meaning:  'When  he  (God)  himself  mocks, 
etc.  ;  '  here  the  verb  is  followed  by  b  before  the  object.  It 
may  be  employed  either  with  or  without  it  ;  but  most  usual 
is  the  latter  construction,  Ps.  119  :  51.  Prov.  14:9.  —  n^as, 
Qeri  fi^W  ,  both  forms,  however,  are  used  and  are  normal. 

(35)  The  wise  shall  inherit  glory,  but  as  to  fools  —  shame  shall 
sweep  [them]  away. 


Glory  means  here  honor,  or  an  exalted  station.  —  "ji 
has  been  differently  rendered  :  Shame  shall  elevate  or  ennoble 


PART  I— CHAP.  IV»  179 

fools,  spoken  sarcastically  ;  so  Ziegler,  Ewald.  But  Chald., 
Syr.  C.  B.  Mich.,  and  others :  Shall  receive  shame,  making 
vnn  =  take  up,  with  the  adjunct  notion  of  carrying  away. 
I  prefer  the  meaning  sanctioned  by  Ezek.  21:  31.  Is.  57:  14, 
viz.,  to  take  off,  to  sweep  away,  like  as  the  dust  which  is  ele 
vated  by  the  wind  and  is  swept  off,  as  may  be  seen  in  Is. 
17:  13.  comp.  Is.  29 :  5.  Ps.  3a  :  5.  At  least  the  image,  un 
derstood  in  this  way,  is  very  vivid.  It  stands  thus  :  '  Fools 
are  elevated  like  the  light  dust,  and  then  are  swept  away  in 
the  same  manner.  Their  shameful  conduct  brings  this  upon 
them.'  But  the  following  sense  is  not  a  bad  one  :  Shame  is 
the  exalter  of  fools  ;  said,  of  course,  ironically.  It  is  at  least 
literal,  and  very  significant,  and  is  not  without  parallels. 
Mimtinghe  significantly  :  Shame  is  the  nobility  conferred  on 
fools,  "pb^ ,  lit.  lightness,  rather  favors,  however,  the  idea 
of  being  elevated  and  swept  away,  as  light  bodies  are  wont 
to  be,  by  the  storm,  i.  e.  by  the  divine  indignation. 

CHAP.  IV.  1—27. 

[This  chapter  also  has  three  divisions,  made  by  My  son,  at  the  be 
ginning  of  each.  In  the  first  portion,  vs.  1,  2,  the  children  are  exhorted 
to  listen  to  wise  and  good  instruction.  The  writer  goes  on  to 
state,  that  when  he  was  a  child,  he  received  instruction  from  parental 
affection,  Avith  counsel  to  observe  it  diligently,  vs.  3,  4.  The  advice 
given  was,  above  all  things  to  acquire  wisdom,  and  never  to  swerve 
from  it;  for  this  would  keep  him  in  safety,  vs.  5.  6.  Wisdom  is  there 
fore  the  first  or  principal  tiling,  and  should  be  obtained  at  all  events. 
She  will  exalt  and  honor  him,  who  attains  her.  She  will  also  adorn 
him  with  a  beautiful  wreath  and  diadem,  vs.  7 — 9. 

The  corresponding  clauses  here,  and  throughout  the  chapter,  are 
very  exact,  with  the  single  exception  of  v.  4,  which  alone  has  three 
clauses.  The  Syriac  has  a  clause  after  v.  4,  omitted  in  the  present 
Hebrew  text,  which  runs  thus  :  Let  my  taw  be  as  the  apple  of  thine  eye. 
If  this  were  admitted,  it  would  make  v.  4  into  four  clauses,  i.  e.  into 
two  verses,  and  would  restore  regularity  to  the  whole  chapter.  The 
Sept.  is  so  perplexed  here,  that  we  cannot  well  make  out  from  it  what 
its  Heb.  text  was.] 


180  PART  I—  CHAP.  IV.  1—5. 

(1)  Hear,  ye  children,  the  admonition  of  a  father,  and  listen  to 
knowledge  and  understanding. 

The  plural,  era  ,  is  employed  here  in  the  room  of  the 
usual  singular.  Comp.  1  :  8,  as  to  the  tenor  of  the  command. 

(2)  For  good  doctrine  have  I  given  to  you  ;  forsake  not  my  in 
struction. 

For  njD>,  see  1:  5.  9:  9.  The  Perf.  inna  has  what  is 
called  the  continuing  or  permanent  sense,  have  given  and  still 
give.  —  Win  ,  here  in  its  primary  sense. 

(3)  For  a  son  was  1  to   my  father,  a  tender  and  only  [child]  in  the 
view  of  my  mother. 

The  design  is  to  refer  to  a  tender  age  (7^  )  or  early  child 
hood,  and  also  to  the  fact  that  he  either  was,  or  was  treated 
as,  an  only  son  ;  of  course,  as  one  much  beloved.  In  this  con 
dition  he  received,  in  early  life,  the  paternal  instruction  thus 
timely  given.  In  other  words,  he  had  been  taught  from 
childhood  the  lessons  of  wisdom  which  he  was  going  now  to 
teach.  —  Son  to  my  father  denotes  something  more  than 
physical  origin.  The  writer  means,  that  he  was  treated  as  a 
son  by  his  affectionate  father  ;  who,  as  the  next  verse  shows, 
was  his  instructor.  The  second  clause  shows  in  what  light 
his  mother  regarded  him,  treating  him  as  a  tender  and  only 
child.  —  Trp  ,  only,  means  more  than  simply  beloved  ;  for 
special  affection  is  usually  the  lot  of  the  only  child.  In  the 
New  Testament,  [lovoyEvifi  has  just  the  same  meaning. 


(4)  And  he  taught  me,  and  said  tome:  Let  thine  heart  take  fast 
hold  of  my  words  ;  keep  my  commands  and  thou  shalt  live. 

*:n*>l  ,  Hiph.  of  !Tn^  ;  in  Kal  the  meaning  to  teach  is  want 
ing.  —  JTW],  (for  1  with  Seghol,  see  §  102.  2.  <?.),  lit.  and 
live.  But  being  a  second  Imper.,  it  implies  a  promise,  §  127 
2,  and  is  equivalent  to  the  Imperf.  second  person. 

(5)  Get  wisdom,  get  understanding;  forget  not,  and  decline  not 
from  the  words  of  my  mouth. 


PART  I—  CHAP.  IV.  6—9.  181 

Each  clause  here  is  bi-membral.  —  Forget  not,  has  no 
Ace.  after  it  expressed  ;  but  ^•cs  is  a  proper  one,  and  may 
be  gathered  or  supplied  from  the  next  member  of  the  clause. 

(6)  Forsake  her  not,  and  she  will  keep  thee  ;  love  her,  and  she  will 
preserve  thce. 


rnrix  ,  love  her,  the  Imp.  with  Pattah,  nnx  ,  makes  the 
form  in  the  text,  before  the  suff.  h-  is  appended.  For  the 
repeated  3-  ,  suff.  to  two  of  the  verbs,  see  Gramm.  p.  289, 
B.  on  the  left. 

(7)  The  principal  thing  is  wisdom,  get  wisdom  ;  even  with  all  thy 
property,  procure  understanding. 

That  is,  if  it  cost  thee  all  thy  wealth,  still  obtain  wisdom. 
It  is  worth  more  than  all  which  can  be  given  for  it.  There 
fore  at  all  events  obtain  it,  if  it  be  possible.  —  a  before  the 
noun  which  expresses  the  price  paid  for  a  thing,  is  common, 
Lex.  a,  B.  9. 

(8)  Exalt  her,  and  she  will  elevate  thee  ;  she  will  honor  thee,  when 
thou  shalt  embrace  her. 


&bo  ,  Pilpel  of  ^D  .  In  other  words  :  '  Hold  her  in  the 
highest  estimation,  and  thou  thyself  shalt  be  exalted  and 
honored.'  —  Embrace  her,  is  indicative  of,  or  designed  to 
express,  affectionate  attachment. 

(9)  She  will  give  to  thine  head  a  graceful  wreath  ;  a  beautiful  dia 
dem  will  she  bestow  on  thce. 


For  sentiment  and  mode  of  expression,  see  1:9.  —  ^3WPi  , 
an  unfrequent  verb,  and  used  only  in  Piel  ;  so  here,  and  in 
Gen.  14  :  20.  Hos.  11:8.  It  governs  two  Accusatives  here,  as 
Piel  often  does,  §  136.  1.  The  second  division  of  the  chap 
ter  now  follows,  and  urges  still  further  the  acquiring  of  wis 
dom,  and  holds  up  the  many  advantages  that  are  secured 

by  it. 

16 


1*2  PART  I— CHAP.  IV.  10—13, 


Part  Second,  vs.  10—19. 

[In  different  forms  are  presented  the  ideas  of  the  writer  with  respect 
to  the  importance  of  wisdom.  His  earnestness  on  the  subject  appears 
from  his  repeated  exhortations  to  acquire  the  possession  of  it,  and  the 
promises  of  many  blessings  to  be  derived  from  it.  Long  life,  safety, 
and  deliverance  from  danger,  are  the  reward,  vs.  10  —  12.  One  should 
therefore  grasp  it  firmly,  and  hold  it  fast  ;  and  in  order  to  do  this,  he 
must  never  frequent  the  path  of  the  wicked,  vs.  13,  14.  That  path  he 
must  firmly  reject  ;  he  must  turn  from  it,  and  go  on  in  another  direc 
tion,  v.  15.  The  wicked  are  sleepless,  unless  they  can  do  evil.  They 
feed  on  the  bread  of  wickedness,  and  drink  the  wine  of  violence,  vs. 
16,  17.  Truly  the  path  of  the  just  is  like  the  rising  light  of  the  dawn, 
shining  more  and  more  unto  perfect  day  ;  but  the  path  of  the  wicked 
is  dark,  they  know  not  on  what  they  stumble,  vs.  18,  19.] 

(10)  Listen,  my  son,  and  receive  my  words,  that  they  may  increase 
for  thee  years  of  life. 

Comp.  the  same  sentiment  in  3:2,  and  see  the  remarks 
there.  For  the  meaning  of  "i  before  13^  ,  see  §  152.  B.  e. 

(11)  I  have  instructed  thce  in  the  way  of  wisdom.  I  have  made  thee 
to  tread  in  the  paths  of  uprightness. 


for  ""rni'n  ,  Hiph.  of  JTVJ  .     To  teach  the  disciple  wis 
dom,  is  to  prepare  him  of  course  to  walk  uprightly. 

(12)  When  thou  goest.  thy  step  shall  not  be  straitened  ;  and  if 
thou  mnnest,  thou  slmlt  not  stumble. 

The  verse  is  climactic.  Running  increases  the  danger 
of  stumbling  ;  but  even  the  higher  danger  shall  be  warded 
off.  —  For  ^s?  ,  Imperf.  Kal  of  ^  ,  see  Lex.  No.  ii.  The 
Pattah  belongs  to  the  intrans.  verb  as  such  here  ;  but  with 
out  this  reason,  the  "•>  final  would  well  account  for  it. 

(13)  Take  fast  hold  of  instruction,  and  do  not  let  go  ;  keep  her,  for 
she  is  thy  life. 

tfnn  ,  apoc.  second  person  of  Imperf.  Hiph.  of  rifi'n  ,  in- 


PART  I— CHAP.  IV,  14—16.  183 

stead  of  the  normal  apoc.  tpfi,  §  74.  Note  14.  This  form 
is  hortative.  —  rnss ,  keep  her  —  who  ?  Doubtless  wisdom 
(the  great  object  before  the  writer's  mind)  is  implied  here ; 
for  the  preceding  "IOTO  ,  its  equivalent,  is  masc.  The  Dag- 
hesh  in  3  is  Dagh.  euphonic,  §  20.  2.  2 ;  also  called  dirimenSj 
i.  e.  separating.  It  makes  the  preceding  short  syllable  and 
the  Sheva  half-syllable  to  be  heard  more  distinctly,  and  is 
in  itself  a  mere  arbitrary  sign  of  one  of  the  niceties  in  pro 
nouncing  certain  words.  Ewald  has  treated  more  fully  of 
it  than  other  grammarians,  in  §  92.  c.  —  ^n  fern,  in  refer 
ence  to  wisdom  implied.  —  Let  not  go,  without  an  Ace.  after 
it,  renders  it  necessary  to  make  out  a  supply  mentally,  either 
thus:  Remit  not  thy  hold,  or  else:  Remit  not  instruction. 
Either  is  good. 

(14)  In  the  path  of  the  wicked  do  thou  not  go,  nor  travel  in  the 
way  of  evil  men. 

"ittjttfi ,  a  new  verb,  for  the  sake  of  variety  in  the  diction  ; 
lit.  take  [no'}  steps.  The  bx  before  the  two  verbs  shows  that 
they  are  voluntative  or  hortative,  rather  than  peremptory. 
Absolute  prohibition  would  require  &tb . 

(15)  Reject  it,  pass  not  upon  it ;  turn  from  it,  and  pass  away. 

The  Imp.  With  suff.  here,  IHS'iB ,  in  the  simple  state  would 
be  3ns .  The  Pattah  under  the  1  is  made  a  Qamets,  by 
being  placed  in  an  open  syllable.  —  "^5?^  ?  with  final  short 
o  because  of  the  Maqqeph.  —  "ib?3,  and  pass  away,  i.  e. 
from  the  path  of  the  wicked,  not  pass  on  it,  i.  e.  on  the  road 
of  the  wicked.  In  other  words  :  *  When  in  thine  own  right 
path,  avoid  the  ways  of  the  wicked ;  turn  from  them,  and 
go  forward  as  you  were  before  going.' 

(16)  Tor  they  sleep  not  unless  they  have  done  evil  j  and  arc  robbed 
of  their  sleep,  if  they  have  caused  none  to  stumble. 

The  three  Imperfs.  here  denote  habitual  and  customary 
action,  i.  e.  they  express  an  enduring  Present,  which  of 


184  PART  I— CHAP.  IV.  17,  18. 

course  must  comprise  a  future  sense.  —  wn^j ,  from  r:n , 
Imperf.  Hiph. ;  5*n ,  as  a  root,  would  also  give  the  same  form. 
The  verb  is  intrans.  and  abs.,  and  therefore  has  no  object 
after  it.  —  Are  robbed  of  their  sleep,  lit.  their  sleep  is  taken 
away  or  robbed.  I  have  preferred  our  familiar  English 
idiom  here.  —  The  1  in  the  last  verb  is  manifestly  wrong. 
Hiphil  does  not  allow  this.  The  Qeri  puts  Yodh  for  it;  and 
to  this  letter  the  vowel  that  precedes  is  adapted.  The 
Kethibh  would  be  pointed  ^te"? ,  in  Kal,  and  would  then 
give  an  irrelevant  sense. 

(17)  Eor  they  feed  on  the  bread  of  wickedness,  and  the  wine  of 
violence  do  they  drink. 

That  is,  they  feed  on  the  bread  which  wickedness  has 
obtained,  and  drink  the  wine  which  they  have  procured  by 
their  violence. 

(18)  But  the  path  of  the  righteous  is  as  the  dawning  light;  which 
goes  on  and  shines  until  the  full  completion  of  the  day. 

ttW ,  splendor,  but  here  evidently  the  dawning  light.  —  "rixji 
Tjiifi,  Inf.  abs.  and  Part.,  (see  §  128.  3.  b.  n.  3),  which  indi 
cate  a  constant  progression  in  giving  out  light.  —  •jisji,  Part. 
Niph.  in  the  const,  state,  meaning  that  which  is  established  or 
completed.  I  have  translated  it  by  full  comj&tion,  meaning 
thereby  the  highest  point  of  the  light's  progress,  which  of 
course  is  at  mid-day.  After  this,  the  light  decreases ;  and  the 
second  part  of  the  day  belongs  not  to  the  imagery  here  pre 
sented.  Sentiment :  '  The  path  of  the  just  will  ever  become 
plainer,  clearer,  and  more  certain,  until  they  come  to  the 
consummation  of  their  journey.'  But  then  —  what  follows  ? 
This  question  is  not  answered  here ;  but  may  we  not  sup 
pose  the  same  feeling  to  have  pervaded  the  mind  of  the 
writer,  as  that  which  "the  Psalmist  entertained,  when  he 
said :  In  thy  light  shall  we  see  light,  i.  e.  in  thy  presence  is 
true  and  eternal  light,  light  in  the  highest  sense  ?  Ps.  36  : 
10  (9).  This  is  indeed  the  perfect  day. 


PART  I— CHAP.  IV.  19—21.  185 

Indirectly,  this  verse  seems  to  confirm  the  idea  of  perseve 
rance  in  the  way  of  righteousness.  The  path  grows  brighter 
constantly,  even  until  the  consummation  of  the  journey. 
This  would  not  exclude  the  idea,  that  clouds  and  darkness 
might  occasionally  eclipse  the  light ;  but  it  seems  to  estab 
lish  the  position,  that,  although  eclipsed,  it  is  not  quenched, 
it  will  surely  return. 

(19)  The  \vay  of  the  wicked  is  as  thick  darkness  ;  they  know  not 
on  what  they  shall  stumble. 

Here,  thick  darkness  is  contrasted  with  the  light  of  the 
preceding  verse.  Of  course,  in  such  a  darkness  no  one  can 
know  on  what  he  may  stumble.  In  otheu  words  :  '  They 
are  surrounded  with  darkness  which  exposes  them  to  con 
tinual  danger  of  stumbling  to  their  ruin.' 

Third  Division,  vs.  20—27. 

[This  begins  like  the  other  divisions,  with  exhortation  to  listen  dili 
gently,  and  keep  the  precepts  given  carefully  in  mind,  because  they 
will  secure  life  and  prosperity,  vs.  20 — 25.  The  heart  must  above  all 
be  guarded,  for  the  issues  of  life  are  from  this,  v.  26.  One  must  turn 
away  from  those  who  spe'ak  perversity  and  deceit,  and  look  only  on 
the  path  which  is  straight  and  direct,  vs.  24,  25.  He  must  well  con 
sider  his  goings,  and  then  his  way  will  be  steadfast,  v.  26.  From  this 
way  he  must  never  turn,  either  to  the  right  or  to  the  left.] 

(20)  My  son,  listen  to  my  words  ;  incline  thine  ear  to  my  sayings. 

cart ,  apoc.  Imper.  of  M^3 ,  in  Hiph.,  instead  of  the  normal 
rran .  The  final  n  with  its  vowel  is  dropped  in  order  to  form 
the  apoc.  word ;  and  by  reason  of  this,  the  Dagh.  of  course 
falls  out  of  the  B  ,  because  it  cannot  stand  in  a  letter  now 
become  final. 

(21)  Let  them  not  recede  from  thy  sight;  keep  them  in  the  midst 
of  thy  heart. 

W1^ ,  Imperf.  Hiph.  of  t^? ,  more    Chaldaeorum^  with  a 
16* 


186  PART  I— CHAP.  IV.  -22—25. 

Dagh.  in  the  b .  The  normal  form  would  be  sif  b; .  The 
peculiar  Hiph.  signification  hardly  obtains  here.  So  we 
have  sis^i  from  "j^ ,  in  the  same  way  of  conformity  to  the 
Chaldee.  Sentiment :  '  Always  keep  them  before  thee,  and 
let  them  ever  be  in  thy  mind.' 

(22)  For  they  arc    life  to  those  who  find  them;  and  to  the  whole 
body  are  they  healing. 

Tliey  are  life,  viz.,  his  words  or  precepts,  see  v.  20.  —  Find 
is  to  obtain.  —  "hfcja ,  lit.  his  flesh  =  his  body.  The  l'  suff.  is 
sing.,  and  is  an  individualizing  of  the  plural  di^xxob ;  see 
on  3 :  18  for  explanation  of  the  idiom.  —  MB1?}?  is  a  simple 
Hiphilic  noun,  Dealing. 

(23)  Above  all  [other]  watching,  guard  well  thy  heart,  for  out  of  it 
are  the  issues  of  life. 

I  take  a  before  bs  here  to  be  comparative  =  more  than, 
rather  than.  —  TaTlJa  ,  that  which  is  kept,  or  custodia,  i.  e. 
keeping  or  watching  over.  I  have  varied  the  shade  of  mean 
ing  in  the  version,  in  order  to  make  it  more  expressive.  — 
Issues  of  life,  because  the  heart  is  the  fountain,  where,  if 
good  precepts  are  laid  up  and  kept,  they  flow  out,  as  it  were, 
and  become  the  occasion  of  virtuous  conduct  which  tends 
to  life. 

(24)  Turn  away  from  thee  perverseness  of  mouth;  and  craftiness  of 
lips  remove  far  from  thee. 

Both  of  the  Ace.  nouns  are  abstracts,  and  therefore  strongly 
significant.  —  rwiapps  designates  perversion,  lit.  contortion; 
while  rvitb  (const,  of  ffi'f?  from  tlb )  means  the  same  thing 
called  by  another  name.  Lit.  the  last  means  deflection,  i.  e. 
from  the  right  way,  or  a  winding  and  turning  course  instead 
of  one  straight  forward.  The  moral  idea  designated  by 
both,  is  crafty  deception,  whether  by  words  or  actions. 

(25)  Let  thine  eyes  look  straight  forward,  and  thine  eyelids  keep  a 
direct  course  before  thee. 


FART  I— CHAP.  IV.  26,  27.  187 

This  is  said  in  opposition  to  the  obliquity  and  perverse- 
ness  mentioned  in  the  preceding  verse.  One  must  not  turn 
aside  from  the  plain  way  of  integrity,  nor  even  look  wish 
fully  at  any  other  course.  —  Eyelids  is  of  course,  here,  only 
another  designation  of  the  eye  —  i.  e.  a  part  for  the  whole. 

(26)  Ponder  well  the  path  of  thy  foot,  that  all  thy  ways  may  be 

steadfast. 

&|Q ,  lit.  to  weigh  in  a  balance ;  fig.  as  in  the  version.  — 
That  all  thy  ways  may  be  steadfast,  i.  e.  may  be  such  as  will 
never  incline  to  go  with  the  perverse,  now  in  this  direction 
and  then  in  that.  In  other  words :  '  If  the  way  is  well 
chosen,  there  will  be  no  occasion  for  deflection  from  it.  The 
course  will  be  a  straight  and  steady  one/ 

(27)  Turn  not  aside,  to  the  right  or  to  the  left;  withdraw  thy  foot 
from  evil. 

In  v.  20  occurs  aft ,  Imp.  of  ft  as ,  and  an  apoc.  in  Hiph. ; 
here  is  at]  (of  the  same  root)  second  pers.  sing.  apoc.  of 
Imperf.  in  Kal,  instead  of  the  full  form  ftan .  In  the  apoc. 
form,  the  short  Hhireq  goes  over  into  the  long  vowel  Tseri  ; 
see  Lex.  In  Hiphil  it  would  be  an.  The  formation  is 
somewhat  irregular.  This  verse  presents,  in  another  form, 
the  sentiment  of  the  preceding  one.  The  last  clause  gives 
a  general  and  summary  direction. 

CHAP.  V.  vs.  1—23. 

[This  is  one  connected  discourse,  devoted  to  warning  against  adul 
tery.  It  begins,  as  usual  before,  Avith  summoning  the  disciple  to 
hear  attentively,  that  he  may  learn  discretion,  vs.  1,  2.  The  strange 
woman  beguiles  by  flattery;  but  the  sequel  is  bitter  and  destructive, 
vs.  3,  4.  Her  steps  go  down  to  Sheol :  and  she  conceals  and  renders 
doubtful  the  path  of  life,  vs.  5,  6.  Again  a  careful  listening  is  de 
manded  ;  the  disciple  is  urged  to  keep  far  from  the  way  of  the  strange 
woman,  and  from  her  habitation,  lest  he  should  be  robbed  of  his 
property,  and  he  himself  become  a  prey  to  the  cruel,  and  all  the  fruits 


188  PART  I— CHAP.  V.  1,  2. 

of  his  toil  be  seized  by  them,  vs.  7 — 10.  Bitter  sorrow  will  follow  his 
ruin,  and  much  self-reproach  Avill  be  uttered  for  not  listening  to  teach 
ers,  and  thus  running  into  the  greatest  dangers,  vs.  11 — 14.  The 
young  man  is  counselled  to  confine  his  enjoyments  to  their  lawful 
and  proper  bounds  ;  within  them  he  may  find  all  needful  satisfac 
tion.  And  these  enjoyments  should  be  exclusively  his ;  while  he 
should  take  pleasure,  on  his  part,  in  rendering  happy  the  wife  of  his 
youth.  Her  love  alone  should  allure  him,  vs.  15 — 19.  He  must  not 
seek  strangers  :  for  God  looketh  on  alt  his  doings,  and  will  duly  weigh 
them,  vs.  20,  21.  The  iniquities  of  the  wicked  will  surely  overtake 
them,  and  they  shall  die  through  their  great  folly  in  rejecting  instruc 
tions,  vs.  22,  23. 

The  subject  of  this  chapter  has  already  been  strikingly  introduced, 
in  2:  16 — 22.  The  line  of  thought  in  both  compositions  must  of 
course  be  for  substance  the  same,  inasmuch  as  both  treat  of  one  spe 
cific  vice.  But  the  costume  of  each  is  different.  Even  the  construc 
tion  of  the  parallelisms  is  varied,  the  present  chapter  being  much  less 
confined  by  strict  adherence  to  rythm  than  the  second.  Indeed,  there 
are  several  long-continued  and  closely-connected  descriptions  here, 
e.  g.  vs.  3 — 6,  8 — 14,  15 — 19,  which  are  somewhat  unusual  in  this 
book.  Again,  some  of  the  verses  here  exhibit  a  scanty  measure  of 
words,  e.  g.  vs.  14,  17.  On  the  other  hand,  some  verses  are  trimem- 
bral,  as  v.  19.  So  far  as  we  can  judge  of  Hebrew  rythm,  it  is  much 
less  strictly  regarded  here,  than  is  usual  in  the  book  of  Proverbs.] 

(1)  My  son,  listen  to  wisdom,  incline  thine  ear  to  understanding. 

an ,  Hiph.  Imper.  Apoc.,  see  in  4 :  20,  27,  what  is  said  on 
Vn  and  an  -  The  form  of  this  verse  is  the  same  as  before, 
on  like  occasions.  The  mode  of  address  amounts  to  an 
almost  established  formula  of  compellation,  in  consequence 
of  its  frequent  repetition.  By  a  Maqqeph  after  En ,  the 
punctators  have  contrived  to  make  this  and  the  following 
word  into  a  kind  of  compound  word  =  n^uipn ,  and  cor 
responding  to  it. 

(2)  In  order  to  preserve  thoughtfulness,  and  that  thy  lips  may  keep 
knowledge. 

The  b  before  the  Inf.  indicates  design  or  object.  —  niata , 
(in  the  good  sense),  thoughtfulness  or  reflection.  This  maj 


PART  I— CHAP.  V.  3,  4.  189 

exist  for  purposes  of  either  good  or  evil ;  the  context  will 
usually  show  which  is  meant.  —  Instead  of  another  Inf.  with 
b,  we  have  now  an  Imperf.  preceded  by  i ,  which  is  equiva 
lent,  and  is  often  employed  in  a  continued  representation. 
See  the  same  usage  in  2 :  8,  and  the  remarks  there  made 
upon  it.  —  r\y^_,  the  1  here  =  the  conj.  that,  and  that,  §  152. 
B.  e.  —  One  other  difficulty  occurs,  noticed  neither  by  Um- 
breit  nor  Bertheau.  The  last  verb  is  plur.  rnasc.,  while 
*lnrBb  is  apparently  feminine.  The  true  solution,  as  I  ap 
prehend  it,  lies  in  the  fact,  that  the  members  of  the  human 
body,  although  usually  fern.,  are  most  of  them  employed 
occasionally  as  masculine ;  e.  g.  such  is  the  case  with  the 
hand,  foot,  finger,  eye,  arm,  ear,  tooth,  heard,  etc. ;  see  Ewald, 
§  174.  d.  The  5  radical  is  also  retained  in  the  Imperf.  here  ; 
a  usage  uncommonly  frequent  in  this  book.  —  Sentiment : 
4  The  object  of  listening  is  to  preserve  thoughtfulness  of 
mind,  and  to  acquire  the  power  of  communicating  knowl 
edge.'  The  indication  of  this  lies  in  the  noun  lips,  which 
are  the  instrument  of  communication. 

(3)  For  the  lips  of  the  strange  woman  distil  honey,  and  her  palate 
is  smoother  than  oil. 

nsb  comes  from  fpa .  —  nssbn ,  third  plur.  fern,  of  Imperf. 
Kal,  from  fjaa.  Here  3  (as  more  usual)  is  assimilated, 
and  a  plur.  fern,  is  joined  with  lips  ;  directly  the  reverse  of 
the  usage  in  the  preceding  clause.  This  shows,  of  course, 
the  common  gender  of  the  noun  in  usage.  —  Palate  is  only 
another  name  for  lips  or  tongue,  as  we  see  in  8  :  7,  where  it 
is  presented  as  uttering  truth.  Both  of  these  words  (lips 
and  palate),  have  a  tropical  meaning  here,  i.  e.  they  are 
equivalent  to  speech,  words.  So  honeyed  words,  and  words 
smoother  than  oil,  are  highly  descriptive  of  persuasive  and 
delusive  flattery. 

(4)  But  her  end  is  bitter  as  wormwood,  sharp  as  a  two-edged  sword. 


190  PART  I-CiiAP.  V.  5,  6. 

Her  end  =  the  ultimate  consequences  brought  about  by 
her,  or  we  might  briefly  say  :  at  last.  —  FHE  ,  bitter,  in  con 
trast  with  the  sweet  or  honey  of  the  preceding  verse.  —  SJiarp 
or  cutting  stands  in  contrast  with  smooth,  in  the  verse  before. 
—  Two-edged  sword,  lit.  a  sword  of  edges  or  mouths.  —  Here 
are  exhibited  both  usages  in  respect  to  the  article  after  3  of 
similitude  ;  the  first  noun  has  the  article,  the  second  omits 
it.  Both  usages  are  normal;  see  §  107.  3.  a.  When  any 
word  is  added,  that  designates  some  attribute  which  defines 
the  word  that  has  the  3  ,  then  the  article  is  generally  omitted, 
because  the  thing  is  already  made  definite.  Under  this 
category  falls  the  word  S'nra  ,  which  is  defined  by 


(5)  Her  feet  go  clown  to  the  grave,  her  steps  take  hold  of  the  world 
beneath. 

T/m  ,  as  the  context  shows,  plainly  means  here  the  place  of 
the  dead,  i.  e.  the  grave.  So  Sheol  is  parallel  with  it,  having 
the  meaning  which  is  assigned  to  it  in  the  version.  —  Senti 
ment  :  (  Her  ways  lead  to  certain  and  irremediable  ruin.'  — 
bl'KiB  is  put  at  the  beginning  of  the  clause  for  the  sake  of 
emphasis. 

(6)  That  she  may  not  ponder  the  path  of  life,  her  ways  are  become 
unsteady,  while  she  regards  it  not. 

The  latter  part  of  this  verse  is  somewhat  obscure,  and  it 
has  been  variously  rendered  by  different  critics,  some  taking 
both  verbs  as  second  pers.  sing.  ;  others  take  both  as  the 
third  pers.  fern  —  Ways  are  unsteady,  *i"3  ,  vacillate.  This 
creates  the  danger  ;  for  how  can  she  be  certain,  in  such  a 
case,  of  choosing  safety  ?  —  It  is  moreover  added,  that  she  is 
regardless  of  this  vacillation,  and  therefore  is  in  the  greater 
danger  still.  In  other  words  :  '  She  is  so  busied  and  per 
plexed  with  her  vacillating  course,  that  she  fails  to  ponder 
the  path  of  life.'  —  srin  (from  r^),  to  care  for,  to  take 
knowledge  of,  see  Lex. 


PART  I— CHAP.  V.  7—10.  191 

(7)  And  now,  children,  hearken  to  me;  and  turn  not  away  from 
the  words  of  my  mouth. 

Another  formula  employed  in  calling  attention  ;  only  we 
have  the  plural  here,  viz.,  sons,  and  not  my  son.  In  *B ,  the 
Yodh  suff.  (=  of  me)  coalesces  with  the  Yodh  of  the  noun, 
and  so  one  Yodh  falls  out,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases. 

(8)  Eemove  thy  way  far  from  her;  and  come  not  near  the  door  of 
her  house. 

The  second  clause  repeats  the  sentiment  of  the  first,  but 
gives  to  it  a  more  graphic  shape. 

(9)  That  thou  mayest  not  give  to  others  thy  bloom,  nor  thy  years 
to  a  cruel  [master.] 

For  Tin ,  as  designating  youthful  bloom  or  splendor,  see 
Dan.  10 :  8.  Hos.  14:7.  The  idea  here  expressed  I  take  to 
be  this,  viz.,  that  the  adulterer  was  of  course  exposed  to  a 
punishment  for  his  crime,  and  this  punishment  usually  ter 
minated  in  his  being  sold  into  slavery ;  and  sold,  probably, 
to  some  hard  master,  in  the  way  of  punishment.  The  Le- 
vitical  law  inflicted  death  for  adultery,  Deut.  22 :  22,  seq. 
If  the  injured  person  prosecuted  him  who  did  the  injury,  he 
might  insist  on  this  penalty  ;  but  if  he  chose  to  act  more 
mildly,  he  might  sell  the  offender  into  bondage,  while  the 
price  obtained  was  accepted  in  part  as  a  mulct  for  the  crime. 
The  idea  of  bondage  through  life  seems  to  be  suggested  by 
the  word  TWS  (years)  of  the  text.  —  Cruel  [master"],  was 
such  an  one  as  the  injured  man  would  be  very  likely  to 
choose,  in  the  way  of  retribution. 

(10)  That  strangers  may  not  he  replenished  with  thy  wealth  ;  nor 
thy  painful  toil  he  in  the  liou.se  of  a  stranger. 

What  a  slave  earns,  of  course  goes  to  his  master,  and 
becomes  his  nb .  —  Or,  in  the  present  case,  it  may  be  that 
forfeiture  of  the  goods  of  the  offender  to  the  injured,  as  a 


192  PART  I—  CHAP.  V.  11—14. 

part  of  the  penalty.  —  Painful  toil  is  service  performed  in 
bondage,  the  avails  of  which  are  stored  in  the  house  of  the 
master. 

(11)  For  them  wilt  moan  in  thy  latter  end,  when  thy  body  and  thy 
flesh  arc  consumed. 


Tpb2  ,  body,  originally  the  whole  body  in  distinction  from 
taS3  .  —  ^d  belongs  mostly  to  poetry,  but  is  limited  in  its 
meaning  to  flesh.  Both  together,  as  here,  comprise  the 
complete  whole  or  entirety  of  the  human  physical  system. 
Meaning  :  '  When  total  ruin  comes,  as  it  will  at  last  come, 
then  thou  wilt  bemoan  thyself.' 

(12)  Then  shalt  thou  say:  How  have  I  hated  instruction,  and  my 
heart  despised  reproof! 

Then  shalt  thou  say,  for  "]  and  the  Perf.,  see  §  124.  6.  a.  — 
How  have  I  hated,  etc.,  that  is  :  '  Very  much  have  I  hated, 
etc.' 

(13)  And  I  have  not  hearkened  to  the  voice  of  my  teachers,  and  to 
my  instructors  I  have  not  inclined  mine  ear. 

The  force  of  7p$  ,  in  the  preceding  verse,  may  extend  also 
to  this,  and  we  may  translate  :  And  how  have  I  refused  to 
hearken,  etc.!  —  "nia  (Qamets  by  reason  of  the  pause),  Part. 
noun  of  Hiph.,  root  rn^  ,  i^ia  has  a  suff.  pronoun  (*<-),  and 
is  in  the  plural. 

(14)  I  was  well-nigh  in  all  evil,  in  the  midst  of  the  assembly  and 
of  the  congregation. 


B?£3  ,  almost,  prope,  or  (as  above)  well-nigh.  —  In  all  evil, 
\.  e.  evil  of  every  kind,  or  rather,  the  worst  evil  —  In  the 
midst  of  the  assembly,  etc.,  who  are  here  supposed  to  sur 
round  him,  and  to  condemn  and  punish  him  by  stoning  him 
to  death  ;  for  so  were  adulterers  dealt  with,  Ezek.  1  G  :  40.  — 
•Ti§,  counselling  assembly,  who  had  judicial  power.  —  Here 
ends  the  lamentation.  It  is  followed  by  counsel  and  caution, 


PART  I-CnAp.  V.  15—18.  193 

such  as,  if  obeyed,  would  save  the  repetition  of  the  like  evils 
and  dangers. 

(15)  Drink   waters  from   thine  own  cistern,  and  flowing  streams 
from  thine  own  well. 

Figurative  language  is  here  employed  to  designate  the 
demeanor  of  the  young  married  man,  who  desires  to  live 
chastely  and  innocently.  He  must  confine  himself  to  his 
own  lawful  sources  of  enjoyment,  and  not  go  abroad  in  quest 
of  other  sources.  —  nrp'ps ,  Part,  noun,  designating  flowing 
streams.  The  imagery  is  drawn  from  a  well  with  a  living 
spring,  which  sends  forth  streams  of  water. 
• 

(16)  Let  [not]  thy  fountains  issue  forth  abroad,  thy  water-brooks  in 
the  streets. 

The  meaning  of  this,  as  it  stands  in  the  Heb.  text,  seems 
to  be  simply,  that  his  water-sources  are  not  to  be  confined  to 
himself,  but  others  also  may  have  the  enjoyment  of  them. 
Yet  the  very  next  verse  contradicts  this  view.  There  seems 
to  be  no  feasible  way  of  solution  left,  except  we  adopt  the 
reading  of  the  Sept.  and  Aquila,  who  both  prefix  bx  before 
liZSP ,  e.  g.  fir}  v7iSQex%eta&(X).  I  have  inserted  this  negative 
in  brackets  in  the  version.  So  De  Dieu,  Umbreit,  and  Ber- 
theau.  Sentiment :  '  Guard  well  thy  house  against  the 
approach  of  seductive  persons.' 

(17)  Let  them  be  for  thee  alone,  and  not  for  strangers  with  thee. 

This  confirms  what  has  been  said  above.  This  cistern 
and  these  well-streams  are  to  be  his  alone.  —  With  thee,  i.  e. 
in  common  or  in  company  with  thee. 

(18)  Let  thy  fountain  be  blessed,  that  tliou  mayest  have  joy  from 
the  wife  of  thy  youth  : 

Blessed,  viz.,  with  children  or  offspring,  so  much  the  object 
of  desire  and  joy  in  the  East.  —  So  the  sequel :  mayest  have 
joy.  The  wife  of  his  youth  brings  him  children,  which 

17 


194  PART  I—  CHAP.  V.  19—22. 

makes  him  a  joyful  father.     This  would  not  take  place,  in 
case  the  husband  sought  after  harlots. 

(19)  A  lovely  hind  and  a  graceful  doe  —  let  her  breasts  satiate  thee 
at  all  times,  with  her  love  do  thou  continually  inebriate  thyself. 

The  hind  and  doe  are  a  continued  description  of  the  wife 
of  youth,  and  in  apposition  with  the  latter.  Or  we  may 
supply  inn  from  G  :  18.  —  Intoxicated  with  love  is  a  common 
expression  among  us;  and  so  with  the  Hebrews.  The 
meaning  is,  that  the  chaste  husband  should  find  ample  scope 
to  satisfy  his  desires,  when  confining  himself  to  the  wife  of 
his  youth.  It  is  not  an  exhortation  to  excessive  venery,  but 
merely  a  declaration,  that  in  a  chaste  conjugal  union  there 
is  ample  means  for  the  full  satisfaction  of  reasonable  con 
jugal  desires.  —  na'i'n  means  to  stagger  or  reel  as  a  man 
intoxicated,  and  is  to  be  taken  figuratively  of  course  here,  as 
designating  ample  enjoyment  of  love. 

(20)  And  why  shouldest   thou  intoxicate  thyself,  my  son,  with  a 
strange  woman  ;  and  embrace  the  bosom  of  a  stranger  ? 

The  latter  clause  of  the  verse  explains  the  former.  The 
intoxicating  passion  of  unlimited  sexual  desire,  is  what  the 
writer  means  to  describe.  What  need  of  this,  when  he  has 
ample  sources  of  enjoyment  at  home  ? 

(21)  For  directly  before  the  eyes  of  Jehovah  arc  the  ways  of  man  ; 
yea.  all  his  ways  doth  he  ponder. 

rpb  ,  coram,  directly  before  ;  of  course,  in  full  and  plain 
view.  This  verse  gives  the  reason  why  the  remonstrative 
question  of  the  preceding  verse  was  asked  :  *  Why  shouldest 
thou  do  so,  when  Jehovah's  eyes  are  upon  thee,  and  he  will 
bring  thee  to  judgment  ?  ' 

(22)  His  iniquities  shall  ensnare  him  —  thr  wicked;   and  by  the 
rords  of  transgression  he  shall  be  held  fast. 


Jn  •insb".  3  is  a  demonstrative  ending  before  the  i,  and 


TART  1— CHAP.  VI.  1.  195 

the  latter  is  a  pronoun  anticipative  or  pleonastic,  which  is 
explained  by  the  noun  that  follows,  §  119.  6.  n.  3.  —  Senti 
ment  :  '  His  wicked  deeds  will  involve  him  in  toils,  and  hold 
him  fast  for  punishment.' 

(23)  He  shall  die  without  instruction,  and  through  the  abundance 
of  his  folly  shall  he  reel. 

The  pronoun  sin  prefixed  to  the  verb  is  emphatic. — 
Without  instruction,  i.  e.  because  he  refused  to  receive  any, 
and  through  lack  of  it  he  now  perishes.  —  rtair1^  refers  back 
to  vs.  19,  20.  There  the  husband  has  ample  enjoyment  of 
love,  or  is  inebriated  with  it ;  here  the  transgressor  reels  by 
reason  of  the  fulness  of  the  cup  of  retribution  which  he  is 
compelled,  like  criminals  about  to  die,  to  drink  to  the  dregs. 

Vs.  15 — 23  are  remarkable,  in  this  book,  for  a  continued 
series  of  tropical  language.  The  delicate  subject  introduced 
is  purposely  clothed  with  this  costume,  in  order  to  avoid 
anything  which  is  unseemly  in  expression. 


CHAP.  VI.  vs.  1—19. 

[Only  vs.  1 — 19  of  this  chapter  stand  in  mutual  connection.  Vs. 
20 — 35  belong  to  a  theme  which  seems  to  comprehend  the  whole 
of  6:  20 — 9:  18;  consequently,  this  part  should  have  been  joined  to 
chap.  vii.  Here,  vs.  1 — 19  are  subdivided  into  four  parts,  viz.  (a) 
Vs.  1—5.  (6)6—11.  (c)  12— 15.  (d)  16— 19.  The  first  treats  of 
becoming  surety  for  the  debts  of  others ;  the  second,  of  idleness  or 
sloth ;  the  third,  of  crafty  deceit ;  the  fourth,  of  seven  things  which 
Jehovah  hates. 

In  (a),  comprising  1 — 5,  warning  is  given  against  becoming  en 
snared  by  pledges  of  surety,  and  advice  to  hasten  an  accommodation 
in  relation  to  them,  by  earnest  efforts,  in  order  that  the  person  pledged 
may  escape  being  sold  into  slavery,  when  he  has  no  ability  to  redeem 
the  pledge.] 

(1 )  My  son,  if  thou  art  pledged  for  thy  friend  —hast  shaken  hands 
for  a  stranger : 


196  PART  I—  CHAP.  VI.  2,  3. 

The  sentence  is  unfinished,  and  is  completed  in  the  next 
verse,  only  so  far  as  the  protasis  is  concerned.  The  nx  ,  the 
sign  of  conditionally,  is  to  be  mentally  carried  forward 
through  all  the  four  clauses  of  vs.  1,  2.  —  FJ^?,  given 
pledge,  become  surety,  i.  e.  for  the  payment  of  another's  debt  ; 
and  this,  whether  he  be  friend,  s'n  ,  or  enemy,  "it  .  The  latter 
word  has  the  article,  because  it  distinguishes  a  specific  class  ; 
the  former  would  have  it,  if  the  suffix  did  not  prevent  it, 
§  108.  2.  —  To  shake  hands  is  both  our  gesture  and  expres 
sion,  in  making  unwritten  contracts,  even  at  the  present 
time.  The  Hebrews  said:  Strike  hands,  i.  e.  bring  them 
together  with  force.  Both  actions  mean  the  same  thing. 
Those  who  strike  hands,  upon  a  contract  offered  and 
accepted,  agree  mutually  to  abide  by  it. 

(2)  [If]  thou  hast  become  ensnared  by  the  words  of  thy  mouth; 
art  caught  by  the  words  of  thy  mouth; 

Both  of  these  are  plainly  a  part  of  the  conditional  protasis. 
For  brevity's  sake,  neither  DX  nor  •)  is  repeated  before  the 
three  last  clauses.  This  adds  to  the  energy  and  force  of 
the  description. 

(3)  Do  this  then,  my  son,  and  free  thyself,  for  thou  hast  come  into 
the  power  of  thy  friend  ;  go  cast  thyself  down  as  a  suppliant,  and 
strongly  urge  thy  friend. 


pxsrt  ,  Niph.  reflexive,  as  often.  —  Come  into  the  power  of 
thy  friend,  i.  e.  hast  given  him  a  right  to  enforce  payment 
of  the  debt  ensured,  even  by  reducing  thee  to  bondage.  — 
Sjin  here  is  not  the  same  as  in  v.  1,  but  the  friend  to  whom 
(not  for  whom)  the  pledge  is  given.  —  DQ'npft  ,  lit.  give  up 
thyself  to  be  trodden  upon,  i.  e.  prostrate  thyself;  and  here, 
plainly,  in  the  way  of  supplication.  —  Tp:n  is  not  plur.,  but 
sing,  with  suff.  The  original  form  of  this  is  iisn  ,  and  many 
nouns  from  roots  ri?  ,  preserve  in  the  sing.,  before  a  suff.,  the 
original  Yodh  of  the  root,  and  thus  take  apparently  the  form 


PAIIT  I— CHAP.  VI.  4—8,  197 

of  the  plural.  See  §  91.  9 ;  and  also  a  full  illustration  in 
Ewald,  §  256.  b.  The  two  phases  of  the  same  word  result 
merely  from  a  difference  in  orthography. 

(4)  Give  not  sleep  to  thine  eyes,  nor  slumber  to  thine  eyelids  ;  (5) 
Free  thyself  as  a  hind  from  the  hand  —  even  as  a  bird  from  the  hand 
of  the  fowler. 

V.  4  warns  against  all  inactivity  and  delay  ;  v.  5  presents 
the  danger  as  such,  that  it  should  be  speedily  escaped.  Of 
course,  from  the  hand,  in  the  first  instance,  is  elliptical,  of  the 
hunter  being  spontaneously  implied,  according  to  the  sugges 
tion  made  by  the  next  clause.  Bertheau  changes  the  reading, 
and  puts  in  Hsra ,  from  the  net,  instead  of  n*n ;  and  so  Sept., 
Syr.,  and  Targum.  The  sense  is  good ;  but  the  change  is 
unnecessary. 

(b)    Verses  6—11. 

[Exhortation  to  diligence.  The  slothful  man  should  go  to  the  ant 
for  instruction,  who  timely  provides  for  herself,  vs.  6 — 8.  If  he  will 
not  rouse  up  to  action,  then  poverty  and  want  will  speedily  destroy 
him,  vs.  9—11.] 

(6)  Go  to  the  ant,  thou  sluggard,  consider  her  ways,  and  be  Avise. 
(7)  To  her  is  no  leader,  overseer,  or  ruler. 

nsn ,  see  mentally,  i.  e.  consider.  —  No  overseer,  etc.,  that 
is,  the  ant  is  not  compelled  by  superiors  to  labor,  but,  from 
the  love  of  diligent  employment,  she  engages  in  it.  Whether, 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  the  ants,  like  the  bees,  have  their  leaders, 
does  not  seem  to  be  apprehended  by  the  writer.  He  assumes 
the  common  opinion,  viz.  that  they  have  none. 

(8)  In  summer,  she  prepares  her  food;  at  harvest-time,  she  has 
gathered  her  provender. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  summer,  "pj2 ,  she  begins  her  work ; 
and  when  the  harvest  is  cut  down,  "HX|33 ,  she  has  already 
collected  her  store.  Hence  the  second  verb  is  in  the  Perf., 
to  denote  that  the  collection  has  been  made  antecedently  to 
the  harvesting. 

17* 


198  PART  I— CHAP.  VI.  9—12. 

(9)  How  long,  0  sluggard,  wilt  thou  lie  down  ?  When  wilt  thou  rise 
up  from  thy  sleep  ? 

''ina-is ,  until  when,  in  reference  to  the  time  when  sleeping 
shall  end.  In  the  second  clause  stands  simply  irro,  in 
reference  to  the  beginning  of  waking  up.  This  and  the 
following  verse  constitute  a  protasis,  to  which  v.  11  is  the 
apodosis. 

(10)  A  little  sleep,  a  little  slumber,  a  little  folding-  of  the  hands  to 
lie  down. 

This  presents  the  anticipated  answer  of  the  sluggard  to  the 
preceding  questions.  He  begs  longer  quietude ;  at  least  that 
he  may  have  indulgence  for  a  short  period  more.  Both  of 
the  nouns,  sleep  and  slumber,  are  in  the  plural,  in  order  to 
denote  the  continuance  or  expansion  of  such  a  state,  —  plur. 
intensive.  —  Folding  of  the  hands  is  the  putting  them  into  a 
state  of  inaction  or  of  rest,  and  is  preparatory  to  the  quiet 
here  desired. —  Such  is  the  anticipated  answer  of  the  sluggard. 
The  consequences  follow : 

(11)  And  then  shall  thy  poverty  ccme  like  a  traveller,  and  thy  want 
like  a  man  of  the  shield. 

Ka*i,  and  so  shall  come,  §  152.  B.  a.  3,  i.  e.  the  *i  is  consec 
utive  or  consequential.  —  T^D^S ,  not  simply  as  one  who  walks 
leisurely,  for  the  Piel  form  denotes  intensity ;  therefore,  as  a 
courier,  runner,  etc.,  who  moves  rapidly.  If  a  robber-traveller 
be  meant,  as  many  assert,  then  we  might  translate  by  high 
wayman.  —  Man  of  the  shield,  i.  e.  one  who  is  armed  with  a 
shield,  and  therefore  a  soldier  or  invading  enemy.  —  Two 
things  are  denoted  by  this  imagery  ;  ( a)  That  idleness  will 
quickly  bring  poverty ;  (b)  That  it  will  come  as  a  destroyer. 

(c)    Verses  12—15. 

[The  vices  here  enumerated,  are  such  as  will  bring  sudden  and 
irremediable  destruction.] 

(12)  A  worthless  man,  a  man  of  wickedness,  goeth  forth  with  a 
perverse  mouth. 


PART  I— CHAP.  VI.  13—15.  199 

Perhaps  the  true  shape  of  the  first  clause  is  thus :  A 
worthless  man  is  a  bad  man,  i.  e.  being  useless  (bs^bs)  is  being 
wicked.  But  on  the  whole,  I  rather  incline  to  the  climactic 
sense,  as  given  in  the  version.  Then  the  meaning  of  the 
verse  stands  thus :  '  A  very  bad  man  is  he,  whose  mouth 
habitually  speaks  perverse  things  or  deceits.'  —  Mri??  is  the 
Ace.  of  manner,  and  may  be  regarded  as  qualifying  the  noun 
that  follows,  §  104.  1.  n.  1. 

(13)  He  winketh  with  his  eyes,  he  talketh  with  his  feet,  he  maketh 
signs  with  his  fingers. 

Here  (as  often  in  this  book)  the  *  of  plurality  before  the 
suff.  1  in  nouns,  is  left  out  in  two  cases.  The  Qeri  has  noted 
and  corrected  them.  This,  however,  is  a  matter  of  indiffer 
ence,  as  it  changes  not  the  manner  of  reading.  All  the  modes 
of  communication  here  described  are  characteristic  of  plotters 
and  sly  intriguers,  who  deal  secretly  in  this  way,  in  order 
that  their  words  may  not  be  adduced  in  testimony  against 
them.  —  Maketh  signs,  is  the  original  meaning  of  !"H^a ,  Part. 
Hiph.  of  JTTJ ,  the  1  after  a  being  omitted,  because  it  is  quies 
cent.  Every  one's  recollection  will  supply  him  with  exam 
ples  of  like  doings  among  intriguers. 

(14)  Perversions  are  in  the  heart  of  him  who  deviseth  evil,  who  is 
ever  stirring  up  contentions. 

That  is,  he  is  very  perverse,  etc.,  the  plural  of  intensity  being 
here  plainly  and  significantly  employed.  —  Stirring  up  con 
tentions,  viz.  between  neighbors  and  friends.  —  E^ri  belongs, 
as  to  its  vowels,  to  the  Qeri  C"1?^1^ .  The  Kethibh  should  be 
pointed  D*1?^ ,  hardly  a  form  that  needs  correction,  perhaps, 
for  it  reappears  in  v.  19,  and  is  not  there  corrected.  Here, 
the  Imperf.  follows  (as  often)  in  the  sequel  of  a  preceding 
participle.  Both  denote  habitual  action. 

(15)  Therefore  shall  his  calamity  come  suddenly ;  he  shall  be  dashed 
in  pieces,  and  there  will  be  no  remedy. 


200  PART  I—  CHAP.  VI.  16—19. 

Such  is  the  consequence  of  perverse  and  fraudulent  dealing, 
which  rouses  up  strife.  A  remediless  evil  awaits  it,  which 
will  come  suddenly,  and  of  course  unexpectedly. 

(d)    Verses  16—19. 

Seven  evils  are  next  specified,  this  being  a  favorite  number, 
indicative  of  completion  or  fulness.  They  are  not  climactic, 
for  some  of  the  worse  stand  near  the  beginning. 

(16)  These  six  things  Jehovah  hateth  ;  yea,  seven  are  the  abomina 
tion  of  his  soul. 

It  is  not  unfrequent  among  the  Hebrews  to  begin  with  one 
less  than  the  full  sum  intended,  and  then  to  add  that  one  as 
the  sign  of  completion  ;  comp.  Amos.  1:  3,  6,  9,  11,  13.  2  :  1, 
4,  6.  —  I  prefer  the  Kethibh  rrhrifi  ,  because  the  plural  is 
intensive  ;  which  is  altogether  apposite  here.  The  enumera 
tion  follows  : 

(17)  Lofty  eyes;  a  lying  tongue;  and  hands  shedding  innocent 
blood;  (18)  A  heart  devising  plans  of  evil  ;  feet  swift  to  run  unto  evil. 


Here,  in  y*rb  ,  the  b  defines  the  purpose  for  which  the  feet 
are  made  swift.  In  fisnb  ,  the  b  shows  for  what  object  this 
is  done.  The  article,  implied  in  b  of  the  last  word  (=  the 
evil),  refers  back  to  the  preceding  'ix  ,  which  is  synonymous, 
so  that  this  is  virtually  a  case  of  repetition,  §  107.  pref. 
remarks. 

(19)  Who  bi-eatheth  forth  falsehood  —  a  lying  witness  —  and  stirreth 
up  strife  between  brethren. 

rpsn  ,  Imperf.  Hiph.  of  ms  ,  here  in  a  clause  in  which 
"ittJx  (he  who}  must  of  course  be  implied.  We  have  » 
like  expression  :  '  He  utters  falsehood  with  every  breath.'  — 
1J5T2J  12  is  in  apposition  with  this  implied  T^x  ,  and  explana 
tory  of  it.  The  dash  in  the  version  is  designed  to  indicate 
this.  —  rfe'd'E  ,  Part,  after  the  Imperf.  ;  often  is  such  a  sequency 
to  be  met  with  ;  more  often,  however,  the  Part  comes  first, 
and  then  the  Imperf.  follows.  Both  denote  customary  action. 


PART  I— CHAP.  VI.  20.  201 


CHAP.  VI.  20—35. 

[As  stated  above,  this  belongs  to  a  theme,  which,  in  its  full  extent, 
occupies  6:20 — 9:  18.  This  large  portion,  however,  is  subdivided 
into  three  parts:  (1)  Chap.  6  :  20— 35.  (2)  Chap.  vii.  viii.  (3)  Chap, 
ix.  —  As  usual,  the  writer  begins  with  an  exhortation  to  hearken  ;  and 
then  he  adds  promises  of  good  in  case  of  obedience,  vs.  1 — 3.  Lay 
hold  of,  and  make  thyself  familiar  with,  parental  admonition,  saith  he 
and  then  it  will  guide  and  watch  over  thec,  and  be  thy  light,  vs.  20— 
23.  It  will  keep  thec  from  temptations  to  defilement,  v.  24.  Lust  not 
after  beauty,  for  unchastity  will  impoverish  thee,  and  adultery  expose 
thee  to  the  loss  of  life,  vs.  25.  26.  If  a  man  takes  tire  into  his  bosom, 
his  clothes  will  be  burned  :  and  burning  coals  will  scorch  the  feet,  vs. 
27,28.  So  with  the  adulterer,  v.  29.  Even  a  thief,  who  steals  to  satisfy 
hunger,  although  he  may  not  be  despised,  yet,  if  caught,  will  have  to 
make  ample  retribution,  vs.  30, 31.  An  adulterer  is  destitute  of  reason, 
and  suicidal ;  he  will  incur  disgrace  not  to  be  wiped  away,  vs.  32,  33. 
Jealousy  is  an  outrageous  passion,  and  will  not  be  propitiated  by  any 
bribes,  vs.  34,  35. 

Here  the  subject  of  2 :  16 — 22  and  5 :  3 — 14  is  again  resumed,  but  it 
is  presented  in  an  attitude  somewhat  different.  The  whole  being  taken 
together,  (and  chap.  vii.  must  also  be  specially  joined  with  the  present 
section),  it  seems  to  betoken  compositions  originally  different,  which 
were  given  out  at  different  times.  But  here  they  are  collected  into 
one  fasciculus.  So  far  as  we  can  judge  from  the  style  and  manner  of 
the  pieces,  they  appear  to  come,  at  least  they  might  come,  from  one 
and  the  same  hand.  They  are  not  expressly  ascribed  to  Solomon ;  but 
the  eulogies  of  wisdom,  so  often  repeated  in  this  part  of  the  book, 
naturally  turn  our  thoughts  to  him.  And  surely  he  had  good  reason 
to  understand,  and  could  wrell  describe,  the  mischiefs  of  lascivious 
gratification.  Possibly  the  pieces  were  written  by  other  hands,  and 
compiled  by  Solomon.  In  that  case,  it  would  be  natural  to  speak  of 
them  as  his.  When  we  compai-e  10:  1 — 22:  16,  expressly  ascribed  to 
Solomon,  the  kinds  of  composition,  or  subject  (so  to  speak)  is  so  dif 
ferent,  that  there  is  hardly  room  to  find  analogies  of  style  with  any 
success.  But,  whoever  wrote  that  portion  of  the  book  now  before  us, 
wrote  what  is  palpably  true ;  and  this  is  sufficient  for  our  purpose.] 

(20)  Keep,  my  son,  the  commandment  of  thy  father,  and  forsake 
not  the  instruction  of  thy  mother. 

Comp.  1:  8,  where  in  substance  the  same  formula  is  found. 


202  PART  I—  CHAP.  VI.  21—24. 

(21)  Bind  them  upon  thy  heart   continually;  fasten  them  around 
thy  neck. 

Comp.  3  :  3.  Here  the  idea  seems  to  be,  that  the  com 
mands  are  inscribed  upon  the  ornaments,  or  the  vestments, 
of  the  breast  and  throat.  Meaning  :  '  Keep  them  carefully, 
and  always  make  them  conspicuous/ 

(22)  When  thou  goest  forth,  it  shall  lead  thee  ;  when  thou  liest 
down,  it  shall  watch  over  thee  ;  and  when  thou  awakest,  it  shall  com 
mune  with  thee. 


The  sing,  here,  it,  refers  to  fms  of  v.  20.  —  ^rptot?  ,  gov 
erning  the  Ace.  of  the  object  which  it  affects,  like  *p.i!P  , 
dwell  with  thee,  as  we  must  translate  Ps.  5  :  5.  The  mean 
ing  is,  that  it  will  suggest  to  him  themes  of  meditation  in 
respect  to  a  course  of  safe  conduct. 

(23)  For  a  torch  is  the  command,  and  instruction  a  light,  and  a 
way  of  life  is  instructive  admonitions. 

Torch  and  light  are  symbols  of  the  clear  and  lucid  teach 
ing  of  parental  care.  —  Instructive  admonitions  are  called  a 
way  of  life,  because  they  point  out  the  way  and  means  of 
life.  —  A  special  design  of  these  comes  next  into  view. 

(24)  To  keep  thee  from  the  base  woman,  the  stranger  of  flattering 
tongue. 

This  seems,  at  first,  to  refer  to  a  foreign  prostitute.  The 
latter  part  of  the  verse  is  so  marked  by  the  accents,  that  it 
should  be  rendered  thus  :  from  the  flattery  of  the  stranger 
tongue.  But  as  we  have  woman,  a  concrete  noun,  in  the  first 
clause,  it  is  hardly  probable,  that  an  abstract  noun  would 
correspond  to  it  in  the  second.  We  may  render  nj?bn  ,  then, 
as  the  const,  fern,  adj.,  from  pbn  ,  put  in  construction  with 
•jittJb  .  In  this  case  we  may  carry  forward  a  to  M^aa  ;  or 
(with  the  accentuators)  we  may  dispose  of  it,  by  making  it  an 
adjective  agreeing  with  "j-idb  (fern.)  and  translate  thus: 
flattering  with  a  foreign  tongue. 


PART  I— CHAP.  VI.  25,  26.  203 

(25)  Lust  not  after  her  bounty  in  thy  heart ;  let  her  not  captivate 
thee  with  her  eyelid*. 

iBT1  makes  with  a  stiff.,  PPSH .  —  Eyelids  here  means  the 
lashes  of  the  eyelids,  which  the  Hebrew  women  and  others 
in  the  East  adorned  by  coloring  them  with  a  dye,  (Tp5  or 
stibium),  and  making  them  more  dark  and  strikingly  defined. 
Great  stress  is  laid  on  this,  among  female  adornments  in  the 
East,  even  down  to  the  present  time.  The  eyebrow  also  is 
stained  with  it.  Its  aid  in  creating  artificial  and  alluring 
beauty,  is  here  plainly  alluded  to. 

(26)  For  by  reason  of   a  woman   who   playeth  the  harlot,   [one 
cometh  J  to  a  piece  of  bread ;  and   [another]  man's  wife  hunts  after 
the  precious  [life]. 

A  verse  of  some  difficulty,  because  it  is  elliptical.  —  To  a 
piece  of  bread,  is  brachylogy,  such  as  belongs  to  popular 
apothegms  —  like  the  Greek  eig  xoQaxag  !  Of  course  xian , 
or  some  such  word,  is  implied  before  this  phrase ;  as  in  the 
Greek  above,  fidl.ls  is  implied.  —  ns-it ,  a  Participial,  and 
translated  above  so  as  to  retain  its  verbal  sense.  Meaning  : 
<A  man  comes  to  abject  poverty  by  lavishing  his  money  on 
harlots.'  But  a  still  greater  evil  is  the  concomitant  of 
adultery.  In  this  case,  a  man's  life  was  forfeited,  according 
to  the  Mosaic  law,  Deut.  22:22,  comp.  Ezek.  16:40. — 
Meaning  :  *  An  adulteress  allures  to  that  which  may  cost  a 
man  his  life,  the  price  of  his  life.'  I  have  inserted  another 
in  the  version,  merely  to  guard  against  mistake  of  the 
meaning. 

In  this  simple  way,  the  crimes  of  fornication  and  adultery 
are  compared,  as  to  the  respective  evils  which  ensue.  The 
first  impoverishes,  by  demanding  money  as  the  purchase  of 
her  favors  ;  the  second  destroys  what  is  far  more  valuable 
than  money,  viz.,  life.  This  makes  the  whole  very  signifi 
cant.  Bertheau  and  some  others  render  thus :  Since  for  a 
harlot^  even  a  piece  of  bread,  i.  e.  this  is  enough,  or  she  will 


204  PART  I—  CHAF.  VI.  27—30. 

be  satisfied  with  this  ;  but  the  wife  of  a  man  will  ensnare  the 
precious  [life].  But  this  is  making  the  writer  merely  to 
say,  that  harlot-hire  is  very  cheap,  and  the  price  of  adultery 
very  high.  But  against  this  is  the  fact,  that  the  latter  is  not 
usually  venal  for  money  ;  and  also,  that  the  moral  tone  of 
the  verse  is  much  lowered  in  this  way.  The  writer  sets 
himself  against  every  kind  of  illicit  intercourse,  (see  5  :  15, 
seq.),  and  dissuades  from  it.  The  shape  given  to  the  text 
by  Bertheau,  would  seem  to  imply  no  more  than  that  a  man 
can  gratify  his  passions,  at  a  much  cheaper  rate  than  adultery 
will  cost.  Is  this  to  the  writer's  purpose  ?  —  nip"1  fern,  of 
*i]^,  like  iTnirn  and  TiM,  is  a  tropical  and  affectionate 
designation  or  qualification  of  the  soul  or  life. 

(27)  Can  a  man  take  up  fire  in  his  bosom,  and  his  clothes  not  be 
burned  ?  (28)  Can  a  man  walk  on  burning  coals,  and  his  feet  not  be 
scorched  ? 

*ttSi  ,  in  the  plur.,  is  here  employed  as  fern.  ;  as  it  some 
times  is,  Ewald,  §  174.  d.  p.  —  firnsn,  Imperf.  Niph.  third 
plur.  fern.,  from  His.  These  questions  are  too  plain  to  need 
any  answer.  The  close  of  the  comparison  follows  therefore 
immediately  : 

(29)  So  whoever  approacheth  the  wife  of  his  friend,  shall  not  be 
innocent,  not  any  one  who  toueheth  her. 

If  the  last  clause,  (which  now  is  brachy  logy),  were  filled 
out,  it  would  run  thus  :  Every  one  who  toueheth  her  [shall  not 
be  innocent.']  This  I  have  briefly  but  virtually  expressed 
in  the  version. 

(30)  Men  do  not  despise  a  thief,  when  he  stealeth  to  satisfy  his 
appetite,  because  he  is  hungry. 


Imperf.,  marking  customary  action.  Men  have 
regard  to  the  temptation  of  such  a  man,  and  look  on  his 
fault  with  a  feeling  of  pity.  Here  the  first  13  =  when  ;  the 
second  =  because. 


PART  I— CHAP.  VI.  31—35.  205 

(31)  But  when  caught,  he  must  render  a  recompense  seA-en-fold; 
all  the  wealth  of  his  house  shall  he  give. 

In  Ex.  22  :  1,  a  jive-fold  restitution  is  enjoined.  The 
seven  here  designated  has  therefore  the  usual  figurative 
meaning  of  seven,  i.  e.  ample,  complete.  In  aggravated 
cases,  doubtless  the  mulct  would  extend  to  all  his  little 
property. 

(32)  He  that  committeth  adultery  with  a  woman,  lacketh  under 
standing  ;  he  who  will  destroy  his  own  life,  even  he  doeth  this. 

Both  participles  here,  as  often  elsewhere,  imply  their  own 
subjects  or  Norn,  cases,  viz.,  he  who  or  whoever.  -—  xitt  is 
emphatic,  and  is  so  translated.  —  ft|iB:3£ ,  will  do  it,  viz.,  the 
adulterous  deed.  It  implies,  that  only  such  as  lack  under 
standing  will  act  in  this  suicidal  manner. 

(33)  Stripes  and  shame  shall  he  meet  with,  and  his  reproach  shall 
not  be  blotted  out. 

This  presents  the  least  punishment  that  can  follow  the 
crime  in  question  ;  but  even  this  at  best  is  but  a  sad  alter 
native  of  the  other. 

(34)  For  jealousy  makes  an  enraged  man ;  and  he  will  not  spare  in 
the  day  of  revenge. 

"asrrran  ,  lit.  is  the  rage  of  a  man  ;  the  version  gives  the 
substance  of  the  idea,  in  conformity  with  our  own  idiom. 
The  adulterer  may  count  upon  the  vengeance  of  the  injured 
and  enraged  husband. 

(35)  He  will  accept  of  no  ransom;  lie  will  not  yield,  when  thou 
shalt  make  large  the  bribe. 

155  xto1! ,  lit.  lift  up  the  face,  i.  e.  to  make  one  to  look  up 
with  courage  and  hope.  The  contrary  is :  His  countenance 
fell,  i.  e.  he  looked  sad  and  stern.  Here  it  is  tropically  used 
for  accepting.  No  ransom  will  cause  him  to  pass  by  the 
offence.  —  ^niii  is  the  bribe  offered  for  propitiation ;  but  in 
vain,  for  he  will  not  yield  to  the  offer,  will  not  consent  to  it. 
18 


206  PART  I— CHAP.  VII.  L 


CHAP.  VII.    INTRODUCTION. 

This  is  surely  a  vivid  picture  of  the  evils  connected  with  the  crime 
in  question.  Especially  does  the  writer  bear  hard  upon  the  adulterer ; 
whom  he  considers  as  much  the  most  guilty.  The  punishment  of 
death  by  the  magistrate,  when  the  crime  is  fully  detected,  or  the  ven 
geance  inflicted  by  jealousy,  is  set  forth  in  colors  adapted  to  deter 
men  devoted  to  illicit  enjoyments  from  their  pursuit,  if  they  would 
but  duly  contemplate  the  consequences. 


CHAP.  VII.  1—27. 

[The  great  danger  to  which  the  crime  of  adultery  exposes  one,  has 
been  set  forth  in  strong  colors.  The  writer  now  proceeds,  in  the  way 
of  forewarning,  to  set  forth  the  alluring  and  deceitful  arts  practised 
by  the  adulteress  (see  vs.  19,  20),  in  order  to  inveigle  and  mislead  the 
unwary  youth.  Forewarned,  forearmed.  If  he  gives  diligent  heed  to 
the  words  of  the  faithful  monitor,  he  may  learn  to  shun  the  ways  of 
crime  and  destruction.  As  usual,  at  the  outset  he  is  exhorted  to 
hearken,  and  to  impress  deeply  on  his  heart  what  is  said,  vs.  1  —  5. 
The  remainder  of  the  chapter  is  occupied  with  graphically  describing 
the  demeanor  and  wanton  actions  of  the  enticing  adulteress.] 

(1)  My  son,  keep  my  sayings,  treasure  up  my  commands  with  thee. 
(2)  Keep  my  commands,  and  thou  shalt  live  ;  and  let  my  instruction 
be  as  the  pupil  of  thine  eye. 


rn  ,  Imper.  in  the  sequel  after  another  Imper.  ==  Imperf. 
2d  person,  §  127.  2,  comp.  in  4:  4.  —  "pms;,  lit.  little  man 
of  the  eye,  has  reference  to  the  reflected  image  of  a  man, 
seen  in  the  pupil  of  that  organ.  The  Greeks  called  it  XOQJJ 
or  xoQaffiov,  damsel  or  little  damsel;  the  Latins,  pupa  or 
pupilla,  of  the  same  meaning  ;  and  so  our  English  word 
pupil  means  of  course  the  same,  for  it  is  merely  the  Latin 
word  pupilla  abridged.  —  As  to  the  last  clause,  keep  (from 
the  first  clause)  might  be  mentally  inserted  before  instruc 
tion  ;  and  this  would  be  normal  exegesis.  Equally  well 
here,  however,  does  the  implied  copula-verb  answer  the  pur- 


PABT  I-CHAP.  VII.  3-5.  207 

pose,  as  in  the  version.  In  either  case,  the  meaning  is: 
*  Let  my  instruction  be  watchfully  guarded  or  kept,  as  one 
guards  the  sight  of  his  eyes.'  Comp.  3:3.  6 :  21. 

(3)  Bind  them  on  thy  fingers  ;  inscribe  them  on  the  tablet  of  thine 
heart. 

C^CJD  ,  bind  them,  masc.  pronoun,  referring  to  "1^x  in  v.  1 ; 
and  so  of  the  next  verb  and  suffix.  —  On  thy  fingers,  refers 
to  rings  with  large  signets,  on  which  were  inscribed  some 
weighty  sentences  or  maxims  ;  as  in  later  days,  and  more  at 
large,  on  the  phylacteries.  —  Transcribe  them  on  the  tablet  of 
thine  heart,  expresses  the  deep  and  abiding  characters  in 
which  the  precepts  should  be  written,  so  that  they  can 
neither  be  lost  nor  erased. 

(4)  Say  to  wisdom  :  My  sister  art  thou  ;  and  call  understanding  a 
familiar  acquaintance. 

That  is,  cultivate  habits  of  the  most  endearing  intimacy 
with,  and  friendship  for,  wisdom  and  understanding.  —  FIK 
in  Pause,  for  tnx ,  second  pers.  fern,  pronoun.  The  Dagh.  in 
n  final  is  a  compensative  sign  of  the  5  which  is  assimilated ; 
for  the  full  form  would  be  n3i< .  When  the  word  is  written 
in  the  abridged  form,  (as  in  our  text),  the  fi  still  remains, 
because  the  Dagh.  virtually  represents  another  letter  before 
this  tn ,  as  the  full  form  shows.  —  sfib  (=  sfniE  )  is  a  Hoph. 
Part.,  here  used  as  a  noun  concrete  ;  for  acquaintance  here 
designates  a  person,  as  in  our  English  usage.  —  The  true 
meaning  is  given  above  in  the  version. 

Next  comes  a  cogent  reason  why  so  much  attention  and 
care  should  be  given  to  the  acquisition  of  wisdom  and 
understanding. 

(5)  In  order  to  keep  thee  from  the  strange  woman,  from  the  stranger 
who  flattereth  with  her  words. 

The  last  clause  being  a  relative  one,  nm  is  implied  before 
the  verb  njD^nn  in  Hiphil.  —  fi'nBX  in  the  Ace. ;  lit.  who 


208  PART  1—  CHAP.  VII.  6—8. 

maketh  smooth  her  words,  —  That  there  is  good  reason  for 
such  keeping  or  restraint,  is  now  shown,  in  the  sequel.  It 
begins  therefore  with  a  *>3  causal. 

(6)  For  through  the  window  of  my  house,  through  the  lattice-work, 
I  looked. 

13512;*  ,  window-slats,  like  our  Venitian  blinds,  made  to  keep 
out  the  sun  and  rain,  and  let  in  the  air.  The  word  is  a 
formative  of  Pilel.,  Dec.  viii.  —  ^BJDWS  ,  Niph.,  (in  Pause), 
because  Kal  is  not  in  use  ;  lit.  I  stooped  myself,  i.  e.  took  the 
attitude  of  stooping,  in  order  to  look  attentively. 

(7)  That  I  might  see  among  the  simple,  and  observe  among  the 
sons,  a  lad  destitute  of  understanding. 


fc^Ki  ,  voluntative,  (not  and  I  saw,  but  that  I  might  see),  as 
shown  by  the  following  M3^3J<  ,  whose  paragogic  n-  denotes 
the  voluntative,  §  48.  3.  For  the  Qamets  in  ^  ,  see  §  102.  2.  d. 
S'jtf  ,  first  pers.  of  Imperf.  Kal,  from  fix1}  ,  in  the  apoc.  form, 
where  short  Hhireq  of  the  praeformative  goes  over  into 
Tseri  ;  see  §  74.  Note  3.  b.  In  this  class  of  verbs,  what  is 
effected  by  n-  paragogic  elsewhere,  is  here  effected  by 
apocope.  Hence  the  voluntative  meaning.  If  the  simple 
idea  —  /  saw  —  were  here  meant,  then  we  should  have 
lix'nxi  .  —  fi5iax  ,  Imperf.  voluntative,  without  the  1  conj. 
being  written,  although  it  is  mentally  carried  forward  from 
the  preceding  verb,  and  makes  the  verb  voluntative. 

(8)  He  was  passing  in  the  street  near  her  corner,  and  treading  the 
way  to  her  house. 

Her  corner,  i.  e.  a  corner  of  the  streets  where  she  was 
wont  to  go,  that  she  might  meet  with  and  decoy  paramours. 
—  res  appears  to  have  '33  for  its  root.  In  Arabic,  this  root 
means  to  divide.  —  The  way  to  her  house  may  be  rendered 
the  way  of  her  house.  Our  idiom  gives  preference  to  the  first 
mode  of  expression. 


PART  I—  CHAP.  VII.  9—12.  209 

(9)  In  the  twilight  —  at  evening  —  of  the  day,  in  the  midst  of  the 
night,  even  the  thick  darkness. 

t)tt35  ,  lit.  in  the  breeze  of  the  night,  i.  e.  the  time  when  the 
cool  wind  begins  to  blow  ;  comp.  Gen.  3:8.  —  yis  is  the 
evening  after  the  sun  has  set.  —  'pd-'X  (as  in  v.  2)  is  lit. 
pupil  of  the  eye  ;  but  as  that  is  in  the  centre  or  middle  of 
the  eye,  so  it  designates  here  the  middle  of  the  night,  i.  e. 
midnight,  when  the  darkness  was  greatest  ;  but  as  the  mode 
of  expression  is  unusual,  its  meaning  is  made  plain,  by  the 
epexegetical  clause  ii^BK]  . 

(10)  And  lo  !  a  woman  —  in  order  to  meet  him.  in  the  attire  of  a 
harlot,  and  wary  of  mind. 

niis5  ,  in  the  sense  of  attire,  is  not  common  ;  but  it  is  found 
also  in  Ps.  73  :  6.  Bertheau  puts  n^t  p.iia  in  apposition 
with  inttitt  ,  =  a  woman  —  a  harlot-dress  ;  meaning,  by  the 
last  two  words,  to  designate  the  woman  herself.  But  this 
is  not  an  easy  or  inviting  construction.  I  take  it  to  be 
simply  the  Ace.  of  manner  ;  as  rendered  in  the  version  — 
rvnsa  ,  fern.  Part,  in  const,  state,  has  been  much  controverted. 
But  without  any  good  reason  ;  for  watchful,  wary,  guarded 
of  mind,  appropriately  describes  such  a  wily  personage. 

(11)  Noisy  is  she,  and  refractory  ;  her  feet  abide  not  in  her  own 
house. 


,  Part.  Pres.  fern  of  Jrcrt  ,  noisy,  bustling  about,  in 
stead  of  staying  quietly  at  home.  —  ^^°>  Part.  fern,  in 
Pause,  refractory  or  contumacious,  as  to  the  rules  of  order 
and  decorum  in  her  husband's  house.  Hence  the  sequel  : 
Her  feet  abide  not  at  home,  the  place  for  modest  women. 

(12)  Now  abroad,  and  then  in  the  wide  streets  ;  and  near  to  every 
corner  she  lurketh. 

This  is  descriptive  of  her  conduct,  while  she  is  hunting 
for  her  prey.  Finding  it  not  in  one  place,  she  goes  to 
another. 

18* 


210  PAKT  I-CHAP.  VII.  13—15. 

(13)  And  she  caught  hold  of  him,  and  kissed  him  ;  she  made  up  an 
impudent  face,  and  said  to  him  : 

The  description  being  finished,  the  narrative  recommences. 
—  rm;fi  ,  Hiph.  from  tts  .  We  should  expect  to  find  a  Dagh. 
form  in  the  t  .  Normally  this  would  be  so.  But  when  the 
final  syllable,  in  such  a  case,  is  toneless,  (as  here,  the  accent 
being  on  the  penult),  the  doubling  is  in  a  goodly  number  of 
cases  omitted;  see  §  66.  n.  11,  and  also  Ewald,  §  193.  b. 
§  63.  b.  Lit.  it  runs  thus  :  made  strong  her  face  ;  which 
however  has  the  meaning  given  above.  —  What  she  said,  in 
order  to  lure  her  prey,  now  follows  ;  and  the  address  is 
dexterously  managed. 

(14)  Peace-sacrifices  are  due  from  me  ;  to-day  I  fulfil  my  vows. 

•by  ,  lit.  on  me,  i.  e.  they  are  on  me  as  a  duty  to  be  per 
formed,  or  the  obligation  lies  on  me  to  make  the  offerings  ; 
a  sense  frequently  conveyed  by  ^2,  Lex.  A.  1.  a.  y.  The 
offerings  here  named  are  those  of  thanksgiving  and  joy,  on 
account  of  blessings  received.  Of  such  offerings  the  guests 
partook  in  part  ;  so  that  a  rich  feast  is  here  virtually  set 
before  the  simpleton,  under  the  garb  of  a  religious  usage. 
The  pretence  is,  that  she  had  before  bound  herself  by  vows, 
to  make  the  offerings  in  question.  This  therefore  is  repre 
sented  to  be  a  lucky  day  for  the  invited  guest.  Umbreit 
thinks  there  is  no  good  evidence  of  a  feast-meal  on  such 
occasions;  but  see  Lev.  7:  13  —  17.  For  the  peace-offerings 
themselves,  see  Lev.  3:1,  seq.  For  vow-offerings,  see  Deut. 
23  :  22.  Ps.  50  :  14.  Ecc.  5  :  3,  4. 

(15)  Therefore  have  I  come  forth  to  meet  thee  ;  to  seek  diligently 
thy  face,  that  I  might  find  thee. 


,  in  Piel,  and  therefore  with  an  augmented  force,  which 
is  expressed  in  the  version  above.  The  Guttural  H  excludes 
the  Daghesh.  For  i  before  the  last  word,  see  §  152.  B.  e. 


PART  I— CHAP.  VII.  16—18.  211 

(16)  With  coverlets  have  I  strewed  my  couch,  with  tapestry  of 
Egyptian  thread. 

D'^'TO  means  the  coverlet,  and  ^ri'in'n  the  action  of  spread 
ing  it  on  the  couch.  The  3  of  the  noun  should  normally 
have  a  Dagh.  lene ;  but  it  seems  to  be  left  Raphe  or  soft 
here,  seemingly  in  order  to  imitate  the  sound  of  the  verb 
^TE"!  =  i^i ,  and  having  the  same  meaning.  It  is  written  in 
the  same  way  (Raphe)  in  Prov.  31:  22.  It  indicates,  in 
this  case,  merely  a  softening  of  the  a  so  as  to  resemble  the 
5  .  Why  ?  is  a  question  which  only  the  Masorites  of  ancient 
times  could  well  answer.  At  all  events,  the  orthography  is 
abnormal.  —  tvtaan ,  striped  stuffs  ;  i.  e.  tapestry,  which  was 
usually  figured  or  striped  by  the  aid  of  needlework.  The 
corresponding  Arabic  verb  (aan)  means  :  to  be  particolored. 
—  Egyptian  thread,  doubtless  means  fine  thread  or  yarn, 
either  of  cotton  or  flax.  To  speak  of  the  tapestry  in  this 
way,  conveyed  a  meaning  of  like  import  with  our  phrase 
ology,  when  we  speak  of  a  Turkish  carpet,  meaning  the  best 
of  carpeting. 

(17)  I  have  sprinkled  my  bed  with  myrrh,  aloes,  and  cinnamon. 

The  last  three  nouns  are  in  the  second  Ace.,  which  indi 
cates  here  the  means  employed,  or  the  instrument,  etc.  The 
spices  named  were  costly  and  favorite  ones  in  the  East ; 
comp.  Ps.  45 :  8.  —  ^FiBS  from  t]si5 .  Of  course,  the  liquid 
extract  from  these  spices  is  meant ;  for  the  substances  them 
selves  would  hardly  be  commodious  for  sprinkling. 

(18)  Come,  then,  let  us  take  our  fill  of  love  until  the  morning,  let 
us  enjoy  ourselves  in  amorous  delight. 

fisb,  from  ^  Imp.  of  TjVj,  the  hortative  form.  The 
plur.  d^'i  and  also  Q^nx ,  are  plur.  intensive,  i.  e.  they  aug 
ment  the  force  of  the  words.  Plainly  the  plur.  here  is  not 
one  of  abstraction.  —  ftO^SW ,  Hithp.  of  &bs  and  hortatory ; 
tho  word  is  a  weakened  form  of  yte .  The  verb  having 


212  PART  I—  CHAP.  VII.  19—22. 

here  a  reflective  sense,  a  preposition  (a)  is  inserted  after  it, 
in  order  to  govern  the  noun  and  express  more  fully  the 
instrumentality.  The  article  (involved  in  2)  is  employed  in 
the  way  of  speciality,  i.  e.  delights  appropriate  to  the  nature 
of  the  case. 

(19)  Eor  the  man  is  not  at  home,  he  has  gone  a  long  journey. 

"irv^a,  lit.  in  his  house  —  the  Heb.  mode  of  saying:  at 
home.  —  irisn  ,  the  man,  i.  e.  the  master  of  the  house.  — 
'rp'i  ,  way,  and  trop.  journey.  —  pirTra,  distant,  lit.  of  or  be 
longing  to  distance,  of  Jar  away.  It  might  mean  from  a 
distance,  but  then  a  verb  of  returning,  or  the  like,  must 
precede  it. 

(20)  A  purse  of  money  hath  he  taken  in  his  hand  ;  on  the  day  of 
the  full  moon  he  will  return  home. 

Return  home,  lit.  enter  his  house.  —  The  purse  of  money 
intimates  a  long  delay,  one  which  he  expects  will  be  attended 
with  expense. 

(21)  She  turneth  him  aside  by  the  abundance  of  her  speech;  she 
forceth  Jam  alon    b    her  smooth  talk. 


isinBii  ,  fern.  Perf.  Hiph.  of  fiwa  ,  with  suff.  — 
n£?  usually  means  doctrine,  but  here  it  is  =  taking  or  persua 
sive  words.  —  Smooth  talk,  lit.  smoothness  of  her  lips.  Lips 
is  to  be  taken  tropically,  as  designating  what  the  lips  utter, 
i.  e.  talk. 

(22)  He  that  goeth  after  her,  will  speedily  go  as  an  ox  to  the  slaugh 
ter,  yea.  as  to  a  foot-chain  for  the  chastisement  of  a  fool. 

Tjbirt  here  does  not  seem  to  refer  specifically  to  the  indi 
vidual  is  3  of  v.  7,  but  to  any  and  every  one,  who  is  led 
away.  The  Part,  involves  its  own  indefinite  Norn.,  i.  e. 
^whoever.  Speedy  mischief  ensues;  and  evil  that  is  una 
voidable  and  disgraceful  ;  for  the  ox  cannot  escape  his  fate, 
and  the  chain  disgraces  and  renders  powerless  the  fool.  I 


PAHT  I—  CHAP.  VII.  23—25.  213 


have,  in  my  version,  carried  forward  bx  before  niaa  ,  to  the 
noun  oas  . 

(23)  (Until  an    arrow  shall  pierce  through  his  liver);  even  as  a 
bird  hastened!  to  the  snare,  and  knoweth  not  that  it  is  for  his  life. 

ST)  atbl  ,  knoweth  not,  may  be  applied  to  the  bird  rushing 
heedlessly  into  the  snare.  —  The  last  two  verses  are,  as 
they  strike  us,  somewhat  involved  and  apparently  defective. 
V.  23  has  three  clauses,  the  first  of  which  seems  to  belong 
to  something  which  should  precede,  i.  e.  either  to  the  last 
clause  of  v.  22,  or  to  something  dropped  from  the  text. 
There  are  three  comparisons  of  the  simpleton  here  ;  (1)  To 
an  ox  going  to  the  slaughter-bench.  (2)  To  a  criminal 
chained  by  the  feet  in  order  to  punish  him  and  to  prevent 
escape.  (3)  To  a  bird  hastening  heedlessly  into  a  snare. 
The  simpleton,  like  the  latter,  knows  not  that  his  life  is  in 
danger,  and  therefore  rushes  on.  Interpreters  disagree 
about  the  detail  of  the  passage  ;  and,  in  like  manner,  the 
ancient  versions,  Sept.,  Syr.,  Chald.,  give  involved  and  diffi 
cult  meanings  ;  which  shows,  either  that  they  had  a  text 
before  them  different  from  the  present,  or  else  that  they 
assigned  to  the  text,  vowels  different  from  the  present  Maso- 
retic  ones.  That  the  text  has  in  some  way  been  disturbed, 
seems  quite  probable  from  the  fact  of  its  present  abnormal 
condition.  But  I  shall  make  no  attempt  to  amend  it,  for 
this  must  be  done  by  mere  conjecture.  The  general  mean 
ing  of  the  two  verses  is  quite  plain  :  '  Unexpected  evils  will 
speedily  come  upon  the  adulterer.' 

(24)  And  now,  children,  hearken  to  me  :  listen  to  the  words  of  my 
mouth.     (25)  Let  not  thine  heart  turn  aside  to  her  ways  ;  do  not 
wander  in  her  paths. 

BiZ£  hortative  form  of  fiab  ,  Kal.  Imperf.  ;  see  §  74.  n.  3.  c. 
—  3?nt)  ,  same  form  (but  of  2d  person)  from  nsn  ,  §  74.  n. 
3.  b.  c.  —  This  is  a  general  conclusion  and  deduction,  in 
respect  to  the  whole  matter  as  already  represented. 


214  PART  I— CHAP.  VII.  26,  27. 

(26)  For  many  are  the  slain  which  she  hath  cast  down ;  even  mighty 
men  arc  all  her  slain. 

I  take  the  exact  shape  of  the  Hebrew  to  be  as  in  the  ver 
sion,  because  a^S^  is  placed  first,  and  therefore  becomes  (as 
usual)  a  predicate  of  the  sentence.  The  sense  is  at  all  events 
virtually  given  in  the  version.  —  n^sn,  Hiph.  of  ^S2. — In 
the  second  clause,  the  Hebrew  runs  thus :  even  the  mighty 
are  all  her  slain,  i.  e.  she  slays  all  of  them  who  go  in  unto 
her,  but  not  all  the  mighty  among  men.  The  appeal  is  on 
this  wise  :  l  If  even  the  mighty  are  destroyed  by  her,  how 
can  the  mere  youngling  expect  to  come  off  with  impunity  ?  ' 

(27)  Her  house  is  the  way  to  the  under-world,  going  down  to  the 
chambers  of  death. 

Lit.  the  ways  of  Sheol,  i.  e.  the  way  par  excellence,  the 
plur.  of  intensity.  *  He  who  goes  to  her  house,  goes  assur 
edly  in  the  way  to  Sheol,'  —  is  the  meaning.  —  ni'-n'h ,  Part. 
Pres.  plur.,  and  fern. ;  for  irrfl  (with  which  it  agrees)  is  of  the 
common  gender,  and  so  may  have  a  fern,  participle,  as  here. 
—  Chambers  of  death,  (i.  e.  of  the  dead,  abstract  for  con 
crete),  has  reference  to  lodging-places  built  in  under-ground 
tombs,  for  the  reception  of  the  dead. 

Thus  concludes  this  grave  and  earnest  warning  against 
adulterous  intercourse.  To  see  its  full  force,  one  must  re 
flect  that,  by  the  Mosaic  law,  the  adulterer  could  be  put  to 
death,  John  8  :  5.  Deut.  22  :  22.  Ezek.  16  :  40.  Hence  the 
propriety  of  holding  up  the  terrors  of  death  before  the  per 
son  inclined  to  commit  the  offence  in  question.  Punishment 
in  a  future  world  is  rarely  brought  directly  before  our  view, 
in  the  Old  Testament, 


CHAP.  VIII.  1—36. 

[A  course  directly  the  opposite  to  that  of  the  adulterous  woman, 
does  Wisdom  pursue,  in   order  to  gain  her  adherents.    She  seeks  no 


PART  I— CHAP.  VIII.  215 

covert  in  darkness,  but  makes  her  invitations  in  a  public  manner, 
and  in  the  most  frequented  places,  v.  1 — 3.  She  addresses  men,  even 
the  simple  and  foolish,  and  entreats  them  to  hear  the  excellent  truths 
which  she  proclaims,  because  they  are  all  just  and  plain  and  upright, 
vs.  4 — 9.  Her  instruction  is  worth  more  than  silver  or  gold,  or  pre 
cious  stones,  vs.  10, 11.  She  has  sagacity  and  knowledge,  and  declares 
the  fear  of  God  to  be  hatred  of  evil,  and  that  she  abhors  pride  and 
perverseness  of  heart,  vs.  12,  1-3.  She  has  at  her  disposal  such  coun 
sel  and  skill,  that  kings  and  princes  rule  through  her  assistance,  vs. 
14 — 16.  She  loves  those  who  seek  her,  and  bestows  on  them  enduring 
wealth  and  honor,  vs.  17,  18.  Better  than  all  wealth  is  her  fruit;  for 
she  walks  in  the  way  of  justice  and  of  right.  She  will  fill  their  coffers 
with  her  treasures,  v.  21.  As  to  her  exceeding  excellence  and  worth, 
and  her  claims  to  be  heard,  they  are  exhibited  by  showing,  that  she  is 
employed  by  Jehovah  himself  as  his  agent.  Even  before  the  earth 
was  founded,  from  the  very  beginning ;  when  there  were  no  depths  or 
fountains  of  water ;  before  the  mountains  and  hills  ;  before  the  earth 
was  made,  and  its  elevations  ;  when  the  heavens  were  established  and 
the  abyss  limited ;  when  the  clouds  were  stationed  above,  and  the 
fountains  of  the  abyss  below  were  made  firm ;  when  the  bounds  of  the 
waters  were  established,  and  the  foundations  of  the  earth ;  even  then 
wisdom  was  witli  God  and  near  him  ;  she  was  his  delight,  and  always 
rejoiced  before  him ;  and  she  has  continued  to  rejoice  in  the  last  and 
best  work  of  creation,  the  world  of  mankind,  vs.  19 — 31.  Finally, 
she  exhorts  men  to  listen  to  her,  because  all  who  seek  earnestly  after 
her  will  be  made  happy,  and  obtain  favor  from  God.  But  those  who 
sin  against  her,  destroy  their  own  life,  vs.  32 — 36. 

Thus  ends  this  splendid  piece  of  composition.  The  personification 
of  Wisdom ;  the  giving  to  her  a  place  in  the  divine  counsels  and 
operations ;  and  the  description  of  her  aid  in  constructing  the  mani 
fold  and  magnificent  structures  of  the  natural  world,  afford  a  beautiful 
specimen  of  sublime  and  impassioned  allegory,  similar  in  many 
respects,  (but  not  in  all),  to  the  sublime  description  of  the  Logos  in 
John  1  :  1—18. 

It  is  well  known,  that  nearly  all  the  ancient  and  most  of  the  mod 
ern  expositors,  have  found  here  the  same  personage  as  the  Logos  in 
John  i.  They  supposed  that  John  took  this  chapter  as  the  basis  and 
model  of  his  description  of  the  Logos ;  and  they  seem  not  to  hesitate 
in  declaring,  that  the  divine  Logos  is  in  reality  here  designated  by 
Solomon.  And  yet  the  two  cases  are  in  some  respects  widely  differ 
ent.  The  Logos  was  not  onlv  with  Cod,  but  was  God;  by  him  all 


216  PART  I— CHAP.  VIII. 

things  without  exception  were  created ;  not  by  him  as  a  mere  instru 
ment,  but  in  his  proper  capacity  as  God.  He  became  incarnate,  also, 
and  lived  and  acted  among  men.  He  was  therefore  a  proper  person, 
a  real  ens  per  se.  and  not  a  mere  attribute  or  quality.  But  nothing  like 
this  is  here  said  of  Wisdom.  Being  personified,  she  must  of  course  be 
spoken  of  in  a  personal  way.  But  we  must  see  what  is  ascribed  to  her, 
before  we  can  determine  whether  she  is  a  concrete  agent,  or  only  an 
attribute  personified.  The  task  of  distinguishing  is  not  difficult.  Wis 
dom  is  not  asserted  to  be  God.  She  is  something  which  Jehovah 
possessed,  or  rather  created,  (which  Slip  primarily  means,  v.  22) ;  she  is 
not  Jehovah  himself.  Tropicallv  of  course  is  !13|2  to  be  understood ; 
for,  as  a  divine  attribute,  she  was  not  literally  created.  But  the  man 
ner  of  expression  shows,  that  she  cannot  be  God  himself,  or  the  eter 
nal  Logos  who  is  God.  When  all  his  creative  acts  and  his  arrange 
ments  of  the  universe  were  performed  and  made  (vs.  24 — 29),  even 
before  these  began  (v.  23),  she  was  anointed  to  her  office  of  counsellor 
(v.  23) ;  she  was  near  him  in  all  his  creative  doings  (i^SX ,  v.  30),  i.  e. 
she  stood  by,  as  his  ready  counsellor  and  instrumentality.  She  was 
his  special  delight,  and  his  faithful  confidant  ("jiBSj),  v.  30.  Here  the 
allegory,  which  personifies,  represents  her  as  a  counsellor  and  instru 
mental  aider  in  the  work  of  creation,  installed  in  that  high  office  before 
the  world  began,  vs.  22  23, 30.  The  obvious  meaning  is  :  'In  wisdom 
has  God  made  all  his  works;' — like  what  the  Psalmist  says,  in  Ps. 
104  :  24.  Omnipotence  without  wisdom,  would  be  an  object  of  un 
speakable  terror.  But  ivisdom,  whose  every  essence  it  is  to  choose  the 
best  ends  and  the  best  means  of  accomplishing  them,  is  the  leading  devel 
opment  of  a  benignant  creative  power.  Hence  the  importance  here 
attached  to  wisdom,  in  her  highest  manifestations.  Of  unspeakable 
dignity  and  worth  she  must  be ;  and  therefore  ought  highly  to  be 
regarded  by  men.  But  as  to  a  real  personality,  there  is  nothing  here 
that  leads  us  properly  to  the  belief  of  this.  Indeed,  the  representation  is 
incompatible  with  this,  when  considered  in  its  time  light,  viz.,  that  of 
allegorical  poetry.  Wisdom  is  not  God,  but  that  which  (Jod  possesses, 
and  in  which  he  greatly  delights,  v.  30. 

One  beautiful  touch  finishes  this  admirable  picture.  It  is,  that 
wisdom,  from  the  beginning,  looked  forward  with  joyful  anticipation 
to  the  world  of  mankind,  made  in  the  image  of  God,  and  capable  of 
enjoying  him  forever.  No  wonder  the  ancient  Fathers  of  the  church 
found  here  that  Wisdom,  which  pitied  and  saved  our  perishing  race. 
But  the  Logos,  as  God,  had  that  wisdom,  and  those  joyful  anticipa- 


FAUX  I-CiiAi'.  VJ1L  1—3.  217 

tions.  Because  both  the  Logos  and  Wisdom  concur,  in  regard  to  the 
matter  before  us,  in  the  same  end  or  object,  it  is  not  necessary  to  con 
ceive  of  them  simply  as  one  and  the  same.  The  Logos  is  plainly  not 
an  attribute  but  a  person.  Wisdom  did  not,  like  him,  become  incarnate. 
Plainly,  therefore,  Wisdom  is  not  a  real  person,  but  an  attribute  poeti 
cally  personified.] 

(1)  Doth    not  wisdom  call?     Doth    not  understanding  utter  her 
voice  1 

A  question  asked  by  xbtt  implies,  that  an  affirmative  an 
swer  is  certain  :  like  the  interrog.  ov  in  Greek.  —  "jpin ,  give 
forth  =  utter. 

(2)  On  the  summit  of  the  high  places  by  the  way-side,  in  the  midst 
of  the  highways,  she  takes  her  stand. 

d^a'-m ,  lofty  eminences  of  any  kind,  which  of  course  are 
conspicuous.  —  *bs ,  lit.  over  against,  i.  e.  by  the  side  of  the 
way.  —  fP2 ,  within  or  in  the  midst  of]  Lex.  n^3 ,  No.  6. 
Some,  (and  so  Umbreit),  render  pis  by  house ;  then,  house 
of  the  paths,  they  say,  means  a  house  on  the  corner,  where 
the  highways  meet  and  cross  each  other.  But  Wisdom  here 
is  represented  as  going  into  public  places,  in  order  to  give, 
out  her  invitations ;  of  course,  we  should  not  put  her  into  a 
house.  The  idea  of  the  first  clause  is,  that  of  high  eminences 
on  the  side  of  the  way ;  of  the  second,  that  she  not  only 
makes  proclamation  there,  but  also  among  the  throng,  i.  e. 
in  the  midst  of  the  highway.  —  nna? ,  Niph.  reflex.,  stations 
herself. 

(3)  Near  the  gates,  at  the  opening  of  the  citv,  at  the  entrance  of 
the  avenues,  she  makes  proclamation. 

These  different  descriptions  are  not  synonymous,  for  they 
distinguish  different  locations  at  the  city-gates  =  within 
them,  and  on  each  side  of  them.  Of  course,  crowded  places 
are  designated.  —  rt|'-in ,  prob.  third  fern.  sing.  Imperf. ;  see 
on  1:  20,  where  this  anomalous  form  is  accounted  for;  it 
being  the  same  in  appearance  as  the  third  fern,  plural. 

19 


218  PABT  I—  CHAP.  VIII.  4—9. 

(4)  Unto  you,  0  men,  I  call,  and  my  voice  is  unto  the  sons  of  men. 
(5)  Ye  simple,  understand  sagacity;  and  ye  fools,  understand 
discretion. 


•"ra^is  >  sagacity  ;  but  the  word  has  here  a  good  sense  = 
prudent  foresight  ;  it  may,  when  the  context  demands,  have 
a  bad  one  =  artful  cunning.  —  ib  ,  tropically  wisdom,  cau 
tious  prudence  ;  for  nb'bx  Wto  means  to  consider,  ponder. 

(6)  Hear,  for  I  will  speak  plain  things;  and  the  opening  of  my  lips 
shall  be  uprightness. 


The  root  of  D^"1}?  (^55)  nieans  to  be  conspicuous  or  mani 
fest.  Wisdom  declares,  that  what  she  utters  is  manifest,  i.  e. 
that  it  is  plain  and  intelligible.  —  The  opening  of  my  lips  = 
my  words.  —  Uprightness,  i.  e.  without  any  duplicity,  in 
honest  sincerity. 

(7)  For  my  palate  meditateth  truth,  and  the  abomination  of  my 
lips  is  falsehood. 

Palate  meditateth  means,  that  the  palate,  which  is  em 
ployed  in  speaking,  carefully  weighs  and  considers  what  it 
is  about  to  utter.  Of  course,  the  mode  of  expression  is 
tropical.  —  As  S'ih  here  stands  opposed  to  rvcx  ,  it  must 
mean  specifically  falsehood  ;  and  so  I  have  translated,  i.  e. 
ad  sensum. 

(8)  All  the  words  of  my  mouth  arc  uprightness  ;  there  is  in  them 
nothing  deceitful  or  perverse. 

In  P1S2  we  have  a  Beth  essentiae  ;  therefore  it  is  =  up 
rightness  ;  see  on  this  a,  the  remarks  on  3:  26. 

(9)  All  of  them  are  easy  to  understand,  and  plain  are  they  to  those 
who  possess  understanding. 


I  understand  t^nbji  here  in  a  sense  like  to  that  of 
in  v.  6.  ro3  means  to  be  before  one's  eyes,  of  course  to  be 
visible,  or  plainly  to  be  seen.  So  TJ^  (G^r-)  is  sometimes 
joined  with  'rp'n  ,  in  order  to  denote  a  way  straight  and  plain  ; 


PART  J—  CHAP.  VIII.  10—12.  219 

Lex.  ir*  ,  No.  2.  The  writer  had  just  said,  that  his  words 
were  not  tortuous  or  perverted  ;  for  if  so,  they  would  mislead, 
and  could  not  be  easily  understood.  Here  he  says,  that  all 
of  them  are  made  plain  and  straight.  But  the  two  plural 
nouns  may  be  rendered  upright  and  just.  This  rendering  is 
adopted  by  Bertheau,  because,  as  he  says,  there  is  a  contrast 
with  the  deceitful  and  perverse  of  the  preceding  context. 
But  this  contrast  is  equally  conspicuous  in  the  version  above. 
The  ideas  which  Bertheau  and  others  suggest,  have  already 
been  often  repeated  in  the  preceding  context.  Either  method 
of  interpreting,  however,  can  be  made  out  grammatically. 

(10)  Receive  my  instruction  and  not  silver;  and  knowledge  rather 
than  choice  gold.  (11)  Tor  wisdom  is  better  than  pearls,  and  all 
precious  things  will  not  compare  with  her. 

•^BH  ,  things  desirable  XO.T  l%6%r]v,  therefore  precious.  — 
snari  ,  Imperf.  of  Jiva  with  i  consonant.  Comp.  v.  19  and 
3:14,  for  the  sentiment. 

(12)  I,  wisdom,  dwell  with  prudence,  and  a  knowledge  of  skilful 
plans  do  I  obtain. 


frtfvs  ,  prudential  sagacity  here.  —  Dwell  with  prudence  — 
the  Heb.  is  stronger,  viz.  inhabit  prudence,  i.  e.  prudent 
sagacity  is  her  dwelling-place  ;  which  signifies,  that  in  all 
things  she  stands  intimately  connected  with  it,  and  has  her 
stable  abode  and  defence  in  it.  —  niat^a  is  something  which 
is  often  thought  upon  or  revolved  in  the  mind,  which  stands 
connected  with  the  formation  of  well-considered  plans.  It 
may  have  a  bad  sense,  viz.  plots,  devices.  But  here,  it  is 
clearly  employed  in  a  good  sense.  —  X^"?x  ?  obtain,  as  often. 
The  first  verb  and  the  second,  although  in  different  tenses, 
both  convey  the  idea  of  an  enduring  present.  So  they  are 
often  employed,  §  124,  3.  §  125,  2.  The  object  of  the  writer 
is  not  to  make  wisdom  and  prudence  co-equals  ;  but  to  show 
that  wisdom  ever  exercises  a  prudential  and  preserving  care, 
that  she  never  forsakes  the  society  of  prudence.  The  latter 


220  PART  I—  CHAP.  VIII.  13—16. 

is  here  presented,  as  if  it  were  the  dwelling  in  which  wisdom 
Ihtes.  It  is  a  somewhat  singular,  but  a  strong  metaphor,  to 
express  the  idea  of  constant  and  intimate  connection. 

(13)  The  fear  of  Jehovah  is  hatred  of  evil  —  of  pride,  and  haughti 
ness,  and  the  way  of  evil  :  and  a  mouth  which  is  perverse  do  I  hate. 


nxsb  ,  Inf.  const,  as  a  noun,  the  1  being  omitted,  see  Lex 
Several  verbs  xb  form  their  Inf.  with  ni-  ,  like  verbs  ft,  §  73. 
n.  2.  —  i5l  Hsja  ,  in  the  Gen.  after  the  same  Inf.  noun  implied, 
the  three  nouns  being  in  apposition  with  the  preceding  r^. 
So  I  have  translated.  —  Perverse  mouth,  lit.  a  mouth  of  per 
versities,  intensive  plur.  =  very  perverse,  or  habitually  per 
verse. 

(14)  Mine  is  counsel  and  sound  discretion  ;  as  for  me,  my  might  is 
understanding. 

What  is  here  affirmed  of  wisdom,  is  preparatory  to  what 
follows.  These  are  the  qualities  which  are  necessary  in 
order  to  rule  well.  Bertheau  inclines  to  make  ^  a  virtual 
Dat.  =  *b  ,  and  so  to  render  as  follows  :  Mine  is  understand 
ing,  mine  power.  The  sense  is  good,  and  perhaps  it  is  the 
true  one  ;  but  the  Heb.  text,  as  it  now  is,  will  hardly  bear 
this,  since  the  pronoun  stands  first.  The  version  above 
seems  to  give  a  more  exact  shape  of  the  text.  For  the  senti 
ment  which  it  gives,  comp.  Ecc.  9:16:  "  Wisdom  is  better 
than  strength"  So  our  text  :  "  Wisdom  is  true  strength." 

(15)  By  me  kings  reign,  and  princes  decree  justice.     (16)  Byrne 
princes  rule,  and  nobles  —  all  the  magistrates  of  the  earth. 

By  me,  i.  e.  by  my  aid.  The  different  classes  of  rulers 
are  here  exhibited,  in  order  to  show  that  all  are,  or  should 
be  under  the  guidance  of  wisdom  ;  at  any  rate,  are  under  her 
control.  —  diBBia  is  generic  here,  and  embraces  all  magis 
trates.  Of  course,  by  reigning,  etc.,  is  meant,  that  the  govern 
ing  is  as  it  should  be,  i.  e.  a  proper  method  of  ruling,  which, 
without  wisdom,  is  impracticable. 


PART  I—CHAP.  VHI.  17—21.  221 

(17)  I  love  those  who  love  me;  and  those  who  earnestly  seek  me, 
shall  find  me. 

•OK  is  emphatic,  and  so  placed  first.  —  The  Kethibh  should 
be  pointed  thus,  f^atti*  ,  i.  e.  those  who  love  her  ;  but  the 
Qeri  reads,  isfti*  ,  those  who  love  me,  which  best  accords  with 
the  fashion  of  the  sequel,  nnx  ,  contract  form  of  Srtxx  ,  §  67, 
2.  §  23.  2.  a  ;  for  the  first  pers.  of  the  Imperf.,  in  verbs  NS  , 
drops  the  X  of  the  root.  Qamets,  because  of  the  pause.  — 
^rrrp  Part.  plur.  of  Piel,  with  suff.  —  ^i-  written  fully, 
without  the  usual  Dagh.  forte  in  the  last  3,  §  57.  4.  This 
mode  of  writing  happens  seldom  out  of  this  book. 

(18)  Kiches   and   honor  are  with  me;  enduring  wealth  and  pros 
perity. 

With  me,  i  e.  in  my  possession  and  at  my  disposal.  — 
Enduring  wealth,  in  opposition  to  the  usual,  fleeting  worldly 
riches.  —  ^£7^  here  means  the  fruits  of  righteousness,  i.  e. 
prosperity,  happiness,  salus,  see  Lex.  No.  4.  The  context 
renders  this  shade  of  meaning  the  most  probable. 

(19)  My  fruit  is  better  than  native  gold  —  than  purified  gold;  and 
my  revenue,  than  choice  silver. 

Gold  and  fine  gold,  in  our  English  version,  fail  to  give  the 
shade  of  the  ideas  communicated  by  "pin  and  tB. 

(20)  I  walk  in  the  way  of  righteousness,  in  the  midst  of  the  paths 
of  equity. 

T||tix  ,  Piel,  which,  in  this  verb,  has  sometimes  the  same 
meaning  as  Kal,  but  here  Piel  denotes  habitual  walking.  This 
declaration  is  here  introduced  for  the  purpose  that  follows  : 

(21)  To  cause  those  who  love  me  to  inherit  substance;  yea,  their 
treasuries  will  I  fill. 


As  the  Inf.  b^nsnb  here  stands  between  two  Imperfects  of 
the  first  pers.,  it  may  be  translated  :  /  will  cause,  etc.,  in 
conformity  with  the   Hebrew  idiom  ;  see  on  2  :  2,  8.     Some 
19* 


222  PART  I— CHAP.  VIII.  22. 

difficulty  has  been  made  about  is* ,  by  those  who  make  a 
verb  of  it.  They  join  it  with  •anx,  and  translate  thus  :  who 
are' my  lovers.  But  then  is*  must  precede,  in  such  a  case, 
and  not  follow ;  and  again,  the  verb  Vin?n  would  be  left 
without  an  object,  when  one  is  demanded.  The  noun  \a* 
here  means  substantial  good,  i.  e.  that  which  endures. 

Here,  all  the  promises,  as  usual  in  the  Old  Testament, 
seem  to  be  like  those  in  the  Pentateuch,  viz.  promises  of 
temporal  good.  Yet  this  good  is  to  be  rendered  more  secure 
and  lasting,  than  is  usual. 

We  now  come  to  the  animated  and  noble  personification  of  Wisdom. 
From  the  beginning,  she  has  been  the  counsellor  and  confidant  (so  to 
speak)  of  the  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth  ;  and  like  him,  she  rejoices 
evermore  in  the  happiness  of  man,  made  in  his  image.  The  language 
is  exceedingly  bold,  and  almost  adventurous.  But  still,  we  must 
remember  that  we  are  reading  animated  and  glowing  poetry,  and  not 
simple  didactic  prose. 

(22)  Jehovah  created  me,  the  firstling  of  his  way,  before  his  works, 
long  ago. 

Assuming  that  Wisdom,  in  this  chapter,  is  the  same  as  the 
Logos  of  John,  many  ancient  and  modern  expositors  have 
contended  strongly  here  for  rendering  the  clause  with  ^Sip 
by  Jehovah  possessed  me.  So  the  Vulgate,  Luther,  and  many 
others.  But  the  Sept.  gives  &m0e,  created ;  and  so  the  Chald. 
and  Syriac.  Recent  commentators,  generally,  I  believe,  side 
with  the  latter.  The  theological  disputes  of  Arian  times 
called  into  action  all  possible  effort  to  defend  the  same  inter 
pretation  which  is  given  in  the  Vulgate  version,  possedil  me, 
on  the  part  of  the  Trinitarians ;  for  they  believed  Wisdom 
and  the  Logos  to  be  one  and  the  same.  If  Wisdom,  (allow 
ing  this  last  position  of  theirs),  was  created,  then,  thought  the 
Orthodox,  a  decisive  advantage  is  given  to  Arius,  who  main 
tained  the  creation  of  the  Logos  or  Son  of  God.  Therefore 
possessed  me  was  the  meaning  given  by  the  anti-Arians.  It 
is  plain  that  this  would  help  their  cause,  since  it  would  show, 


PART  I— CHAP.  VIII.  22.  223 

that  before  the  mundane  creation  began,  Jehovah  already 
possessed  the  Wisdom  in  question,  and  therefore  it  must,  as 
they  averred,  be  eternal.  But  as  the  assumption  of  a  proper 
person  here,  such  as  the  Logos  was,  is  clearly  against  the 
tenor  of  the  whole  piece,  we  need  not  be  bound  by  any  of 
their  scruples  or  fears.  Philology,  at  all  events,  must  have 
its  proper  place,  independent  of  party  views.  —  !tj£ ,  then, 
means  originally,  to  erect  any  thing,  to  set  it  up  or  make  it 
steadfast.  As  naturally  flowing  from  this,  come  the  mean 
ings  :  to  create,  to  found,  exemplified  in  Deut.  32  :  6.  Psalms 
139 :  13.  Gen.  14 :  19,  22.  Moreover,  the  Arabic  (nip) 
means  to  create.  Then  come  the  derived  meanings :  pre 
pare,  acquire  ;  and  lastly,  to  acquire  by  purchase,  i.  e.  to  buy. 
But  the  simple  sense  of  possedit,  as  given  by  the  Vulgate, 
has  no  footing  in  the  Hebrew.  We  feel  compelled,  there 
fore,  to  relinquish  it.  In  so  doing,  no  theological  question  is 
in  reality  affected  thereby.  The  anti-Arians,  indeed,  lose 
their  assumed  foothold,  viz.  that  of  eternal  possession  of 
Wisdom;  which  they  compare  with  the  Logos,  and  with 
John's  assertion  that  he  was  TTQOS  TOV  Oeov.  The  Arians, 
on  the  other  hand,  gain  nothing  by  the  proposed  exegesis ; 
for,  to  make  it  of  any  avail  to  them,  they  must  show  that 
Wisdom  and  the  Logos  are  not  only  persons,  but  are  one  and 
the  same  person.  As  such  an  assumption  is  demonstrably 
groundless,  so  they  cannot  prove  the  creation  of  the  Logos,  by 
the  clause  in  question.  The  writer  means  to  say  that  the 
first  of  God's  creation  was  the  wisdom,  which  guided  all 
subsequent  measures.  Only  poetically,  of  course,  can  this  be 
said  ;  and  it  is  said  only  because  the  poet  converts  Wisdom 
into  an  allegorical  personage,  and  makes  her  as  it  were  a 
distinct  agent.  In  and  by  Wisdom,  God  made  all  things. 
Of  course,  if  Wisdom  be  personified,  then  she,  considered  as 
a  personage,  must  have  had  a  beginning,  (for  God  only  is 
self-existent)  ;  and  her  rise  must  have  been  antecedent  to  the 


224  PART  I— CHAP.  VIII.  23. 

works  which  were  performed  by  her  aid.  Comp.  vs.  24,  25, 
which  again  assert  her  rise  or  birth. 

Accordingly,  she  is  said  to  be  is1^  ITVBJO ,  the  firstling  or 
first  creation  of  his  active  formative  power  or  doing,  fp'n  being 
equivalent  here  to  action  or  doing.  The  idea  of  this  com 
pound  phrase  stands  in  apposition  with  the  preceding  TJ— , 
me.  To  supply  a  before  rvran  ,  and  then  translate  :  in  the 
beginning,  is  manifestly  a  departure  from  the  text.  Before 
his  works  means  his  creative  works  here  ;  elsewhere  it  means 
doings  of  any  sort. —  txa  is  again  another  epexegetical  clause, 
added  to  the  preceding  one.  It  here  means  long  ago,  in  its 
most  extensive  sense,  i.  e.  before  the  creation  of  the  world. 
Nothing  is  clearer  than  that  wisdom  must  have  preceded  all 
the  works  mentioned  in  the  sequel,  in  which  she  aided.  One 
must  be,  before  he  can  act. 

On  the  whole,  I  do  not  see  how  we  can  translate  15:53  by 
any  of  the  secondary  meanings  of  r»j3 .  For  what  sense 
would  it  make  to  say :  Jehovah  acquired,  procured,  obtained, 
or  purchased  me,  etc.  ?  From  whom  did  he  obtain  or  procure 
Wisdom  ?  Who  possessed  it,  before  he  acquired  or  procured 
it  ?  These  questions  preclude  this  secondary  exegesis,  and 
cast  us  upon  the  first,  viz.  '  Jehovah  set  up  or  established 
Wisdom  first  of  all,  and  employed  her  aid  in  devising  the 
plan  and  order  of  the  creation.'  Poetically,  indeed,  but  very 
strikingly  is  this  expressed. 

(23)  Of  old  was  I  anointed  ;  from  the  beginning,  from  the  earliest 
period  of  the  earth. 

The  personification  is  carried  on  consistently.  When 
wisdom  has  been  raised  up,  she  is  inducted  into  her  august 
office  by  anointing  or  consecration.  The  other  sense  of  ^02 
here,  i.  e.  poured  forth,  has  no  tolerable  meaning,  as  it  applies 
in  this  way  only  to  the  pouring  out  of  libations  or  of  melted 
metal.  —  h*ni? ,  plur.  of  nn£ ,  means  of  course  the  commencing 
period  of  the  earth.  The  whole  verse  repeats,  in  another 


PART  I— CHAP.  VIII.  24—27.  225 

form,  the  views  of  the  preceding  verse.  The  ancient  versions 
are  all  at  fault  here,  not  understanding  TODS .  —  The  main 
idea,  viz.  that  of  antiquity,  is  greatly  expanded  in  the  sequel. 

(24)  While  there  were   no  depths  I  was  born,  when  there  were  no 
fountains  laden  with  water. 

If  there  be  difficulty  about  ^^ ,  as  to  the  meaning  given 
above,  this  verse  would  seem  to  solve  it.  Here,  wisdom  is 
said  to  be  born.  ifrbbin ,  Foal  of  b^n .  —  Laden  or  heavy  with 
water,  Gesenius  takes  no  notice  of  the  Dagh.  forte  in  "n  of 
^2=3 ,  but  puts  the  word  down  merely  as  a  Part.  Niph.  But 
surely  it  belongs  not  there.  It  is  an  intensive  adjective, 
formed  from  the  Niph.  Part.,  and  agrees  with  the  masc.  form 
d^STS  implied.  Laden  means  containing  ponderous  masses. 
—  The  deep  here,  rvixriniri ,  refers  to  the  great  abyss  beneath 
the  earth  ;  see  Gen.  1:  2. 

(25)  Before  the  mountains  were  sunk  down,  before  the  hills,  was  I 
born. 

Sunk  down,  i.  e.  sunk  into  the  earth.  —  Before  the  hills 
[were  sunk],  I  was  born;  again  repeating  the  leading  idea 
of  the  former  verse,  i.  e.  her  very  ancient  birth. 

(26)  When  he  had   not  formed  the  land  and  the  deserts,  nor  the 
mass  of  the  dust  of  the  earth. 

Probably  land  here  means  terra  culta,  to  which  the  word 
deserts  stands  opposed.  —  rx-i  seems  here  to  mean  sum,  mass  ; 
comp.  Ps.  139  :  17.  —  Inasmuch  as  SiTiS"  is  plur.,  it  probably 
means  clods  of  dust ;  or  the  plur.  may  designate  the  widely 
extended  and  multitudinous  dust. 

(27)  When  he  established  the  heavens.  I  was  there ;  when  he  marked 
out  the  circle  on  the  face  of  the  waters. 

The  heavens,  i.  e.  the  welkin,  or  (in  other  words)  the  con 
cave  set  with  stars.  —  ipn ,  Inf.  of  ppn ,  the  usual  ph  goes 
of  course  into  the  short  vowel,  Qibbuts,  when  it  takes  a  suff. 


226  PART  I— CHAP.  VIII.  28,  29. 

The  suff.  designates  the  agent :  when  he  defined,  i.  e.  described, 
marked  out.  —  Mn  is  the  circle  or  concave  of  the  arched 
heavens.  —  On  the  fa#e  of  the  waters,  i.  e.  on  the  ocean, 
which,  in  the  view  of  the  Hebrews,  surrounded  the  whole 
earth,  and  the  edges  of  the  ivelkin  or  vault  of  heaven,  were 
supposed  by  them  to  rest  upon  the  face  of  it.  Here  ain  = 
Sip^n  in  Gen.  1:  6.  The  idea  is  :  'When  he  defined  or  cir 
cumscribed  the  vault  of  heaven,  which  rests  on  the  face  of 
the  great  ocean.' 

(28)  When  he  fixed  the  clouds  on  high  ;  when  the  fountains  of  the 
abyss  were  made  firm. 

Fixed  the  clouds,  means  that  he  firmly  established  the 
location  or  sustentation  of  them ;  and  ^y^  defines  where 
this  was.  Lit.  this  word  means  :  on  the  part  of  the  upper 
region,  i.  e.  above  the  !^n  or  welkin.  —  The  fountains  of  the 
abyss  are  the  reservoirs  of  water  above  the  firmament,  Gen. 
1:7.  11:  7.  How  the  fountains  are  made  firm,  may  be  seen 
in  Job.  26:8.  Firm  or  strong  they  must  be,  in  the  view  of 
the  Hebrew,  who  knew  nothing  of  the  true  formation  of  rain- 
showers,  in  order  to  retain  the  abysses  of  water  above.  For 
the  breaking  up,  or  rather  cleaving  of  these  abysses,  at  the 
time  of  the  deluge,  see  Gen.  7:  11,  and  comp.  rpri?  in  Job 
26:8,  where  the  same  imagery  is  presented.  —  tits?,  Inf. 
Kal,  is  intrans.,  and  does  not  mean  actively  to  strengthen,  but 
to  be  or  become  firm  or  strong.  Hence  I  have  rendered  it  as 
intransitive. 

(29)  When  he  marked  out  for  the  sea  its  limit,  so  that  the  waters 
should  not  pass  beyond  its  shore ;  when  he  defined  the  foundations  of 
the  earth. 

ipn ,  from  the  noun  p'n ,  root  ppn .  —  "PB ,  not  mouth  here, 
but  lip  tropically  understood,  =  edge,  margin,  shore.  —  hipin , 
Inf.  of  ppn ,  =  ipn ,  but  taking  the  form  of  a  verb  12 ,  i.  e. 
as  if  it  were  from  pin .  See  for  this  usage,  §  66.  n.  9. 
Umbreit  says,  that  foundations  here  means  pillars,  and  refers 


PART  I-CHAP.  VIII.  30,  31.  227 

to  Job  9 :  6  for  proof.  It  is  clear,  in  this  passage  of  Job, 
that  pillars  are  supporters;  but  they  are  not  therefore 
exactly  equivalent  to  foundations* 

(30)  Then  was  I  near  him  as  a  confidant ;  I  was  a  delight  continu 
ally,  rejoicing  before  him  at  all  times. 

Vs.  24 — 29  all  belong  virtually  to  a  protasis,  of  which 
v.  30  is  a  part  of  the  apodosis.  The  }  before  the  first  verb 
is  continuative,  and  is  so  rendered.  The  verb  (used  as  a 
Praeter)  connects  with  the  implied  Perf.  (was)  before  ">:>:$ 
in  v.  27.  —  Near  him,  i.  e.  in  his  immediate  presence.  — 
•p'sj* ,  as  a  noun,  may  mean  artificer  (see  Lex.),  or,  as  it 
seems  to  me.  it  more  probably  means  here,  one  confided  in 
as  faithful  and  true.  This  agrees  better  with  the  tenor  of 
the  latter  part  of  the  verse.  —  Dwarr,  reduplicate  form 
from  s?'ja ,  plur.  of  intensity,  like  the  Latin  deliciae,  i.  e.  a 
source  of  muck  delight.  Bertheau :  ergotzliche  Spielerei  = 
a  delightful  sport.  This  hardly  consists  with  the  root ;  and 
Jer.  31  :  20,  to  which  he  appeals,  surely  does  not  satisfacto 
rily  confirm  this  meaning.  —  Rejoicing,  rpnb's ,  lit.  laughing^ 
sporting,  e.  g.  as  an  innocent  and  joyful  child  sports.  The 
imagery  is  vivid  ;  but  the  dignity  of  the  agent  seems  to  pro 
hibit  a  literal  version.  Indeed,  the  verb  pnb  is  only  a 
weakened  form  of  pri^ ,  and  would  rather  import  smiling. 
I  have  given  a  meaning  ad  sen  sum  in  the  version,  although 
it  does  not  present  the  exact  light  and  shade  of  the  original. 
Our  mode  of  expression,  in  relation  to  such  a  subject,  is 
grave  and  respectful,  and  will  hardly  permit  us  to  translate 
by  laughing  or  sporting,  much  less  dancing  (as  some  trans 
late)  here. 

(31)  Rejoicing  in  the  habitable  world  —  his  earth  ;  and  my  delight 
was  with  the  children  of  men. 

Umbreit  wrongly  :  and  lam  the  delight  of  mankind.  The 
writer  tells  us  here,  that  Wisdom  did  not  confine  her  pres- 


2-28  PART  I—  CHAP.  VIII.  32—34. 

ence  merely  to  the  heavenly  world.  When  the  inhabited 
earth  appeared,  she  descended  and  abode  upon  it,  mingling 
with  men,  and  taking  delight  in  counselling  and  guiding 
them.  —  Truly  an  exquisitely  fine  thought,  and  a  very  at 
tractive  turn  of  the  discourse.  If  Wisdom  has  acted  thus, 
with  what  gratitude  arid  readiness  ought  men  to  listen  to 
her  !  This  is  the  obvious  deduction  from  the  text,  and  it 
prepares  the  way  for  the  closing  exhortation.  —  ban  is  a 
poetic  word  =  the  Greek  y//  orAov^v^.  —  His  earth,  i.  e. 
this  same  earth  which  he  created  by  Wisdom.  —  With  the 
sons  of  men,  i.  e.  associating  with  them,  mixing  with  them, 
going  among  them. 

After  this  sublime  description  of  the  excellence  and  dig 
nity  of  Wisdom,  with  great  effect  does  the  writer  return  to 
his  persuasive  exhortations. 

(32)  And  now,  ye  children,  hearken  to  me  ;  for  blessed  are  they 
who  keep  my  ways. 


THOX  ,  has  the  form  of  plur.  const.,  but  always  is  employed 
in  this  way  only,  and  virtually  therefore  an  interjection. 
Before  the  verb  *n«i^  an  TIJX  is  implied.  —  My  ways  means  : 
those  which  I  prescribe. 

(33)  Hear  instruction,  and  be  wise,  and  reject  it  not. 

After  wn&n  (Qamets  in  Pause),  the  noun  "toto  is  of  course 
implied.  This  verb  occurs  often  in  this  book,  viz.,  1:  25. 
13:  18.  15:32. 

(34)  Blessed  is  th£  man  who  hearkenetfi  to  me,  so  as  to  watch  at 
my  doors  continually,  so  as  to  keep  watch  at  the  posts  of  my  gates. 

The  b  before  the  two  Infinitives  is  designed  to  mark  the 
verbs  as  limiting  and  explaining  seia  ,  by  showing  what  such 
hearkening  consists  in.  Wisdom  is  here  conceived  of  as 
dwelling  in  her  temple,  (see  9:1),  and  the  anxious  inquirer 
for  her,  as  watching  and  waiting  for  the  opening  of  her 
doors. 


PART  I—  CHAP.  VIII.  35,  36.  229 

(35)  For  he  who  findeth  ma,  findeth  life;  and  he  shall  obtain  favor 
from  Jehovah. 


232  has  the  vowels  of  the  Qeri,  which  drops  the  Yodh 
final.  This  is  the  most  simple  reading.  But  the  Kethibh 
would  answer  well,  if  pointed  ^XSE  ,  finders,  and  the  preced 
ing  word  also  pointed  thus,  ^XiJia  ,  the  finders  of  me.  The 
sense  is  the  same  in  both  ways.  —  pE£i  ,  Imperf.  Hiph.  of 
p*ifi,  with  retracted  accent,  and  therefore  shortened  final 
syllable,  §  97.  n.  7. 

(36)  But  whosoever  inisseth  me,  injureth  himself;  all  who  hate  me, 
love  death. 


•^an  is  here  used  in  its  original  sense,  viz.,  that  of  missing 
a  mark.  In  this  way  it  stands  contrasted  with  the  ixxfc 
(finding)  of  the  preceding  verse.  The  missing,  however,  is 
here  taken  as  voluntary,  because  it  takes  place  through  neg 
lect  and  indifference.  —  Love  death,  i.  e.  inasmuch  as  they 
are  shunning  my  counsel  and  refusing  my  .reproof,  they 
show  that  they  love  "  the  way  that  leads  to  Sheol,  going 
down  to  the  chambers  of  death  ;  "  for  this  is  the  way  to 
which  the  adulteress  invites  them. 

In  this  allegorical  and  truly  poetic  description  of  the  dignity  and 
excellence  of  wisdom,  we  may  see  the  high  import  attached  to  the 
worcH  where  the  writer  employs  it  as  designating  moral  and  religious 
attainments  or  conduct.  Of  course,  folly,  which  is  the  antithesis,  be 
comes  in  his  writings  also  a  very  significant  word.  The  design  of  the 
chapter  is  to  exhibit  the  claims  which  Wisdom  has  to  be  heard,  on 
the  ground  of  her  antiquity,  her  excellence,  and  her  sympathy  with 
men.  Being  personified,  she  must  be  spoken  of  in  accordance  with 
this,  for  the  sake  of  congruity.  Not  being  God  himself,  who  is  eter 
nal  and  self-existent,  she  must  of  course  be  conceived  of  as  originated. 
But  it  was  before  time  began,  i.  c.  before  the  creation.  Her  origination 
(so  called)  consists  in  her  active  development.  She  was  the  n*1*JX'l 
(firstling)  of  the  creation.  If  any  one  still  insists,  that  the  real  Logos 
is  to  be  found  here,  i.  e.  a  real  and  not  a  poetical  personage  ;  and  also 
that  133J5  of  v.  22  means  possessed,  (as  many  have  said  and  still  say)  ; 
then  let  him  reperuse  vs.  24,  25,  and  consider  what  ^FlVVin  means.  It 
20 


230  PART  I-CHAP.  IX. 

is  never  applied  to  begetting  as  an  act  of  the  father,  but  only  to  bring 
ing  forth,  as  the  act  of  the  mother ;  then  passively  it  designates  the 
effects  of  that  act,  viz.,  the  being  born,  in  relation  to  the  child.  It  is 
quite  a  different  word  from  1-b-i ,  to  beget,  which  applies  both  to  father 
and  mother,  like  the  Greek  yevvaw  and  TIKTSIV,  and  the  Latin  parere. 
If,  then,  the  interpreter  will  honestly  follow  out  his  Logos-scheme 
here,  he  must  come  at  last  to  such  a  position,  that  the  question  may 
well  be  asked  :  Who  then  was  the  mother  of  Wisdom,  and  brought  her 
forth  ?  The  verb  cannot  be  attached  to  the  action  of  a  father.  And 
if  we  are  obliged  to  answer  such  a  question  as  the  word  iftbbin 
naturally  raises,  we  must  go  I  know  not  where  to  find  an  answer.  In 
fact,  this  course  of  proceeding,  if  followed  out,  leads  at  last  to  a  down 
right  absurdity.  The  Logos  (as  hypostatically  such)  had  no  mother; 
nor,  as  self-existent  and  independent  God,  could  he  have  in  a  proper 
sense  a  father.  If  the  doctrine  of  real  eternal  generation  be  applied  to 
vs.  22 — 31,  then,  to  be  impartial,  we  must  find  an  eternal  mother,  as 
well  as  father.  /Self-existence  and  independence,  in  their  true  sense,  are 
essential  attributes  of  Godhead ;  and  derivation,  in  any  way  or  man 
ner,  known  or  unknown,  obvious  or  mysterious,  is  still  derivation,  and 
therefore  it  is  directly  opposed  to  self-existence  and  independence.  A 
derived  supreme  God  is,  at  least  to  my  own  mind,  a  contradiction  in 
substance  if  not  in  terms.  The  eighth  chapter  of  Proverbs,  there 
fore,  should  cease  from  being  appealed  to,  in  order  to  show  the  gen 
eration  of  the  Logos  —  who  was  God  —  God  over  all  —  the  true  God  and 
eternal  life,  John  1:1.  Rom.  9:5.  1  John  5  :  20  ;  and  therefore  unde- 
rived  and  self-existent. 


CHAP.  IX.  1—18. 

[This  is  the  closing  part  of  the  large  discourse  which  reaches  from 
6  :  20  to  9  :  18.  It  is  a  kind  of  summary  of  the  whole,  not  closely 
connected  and  rigidly  continuous,  but  passing  from  one  subject  rapidly 
to  another,  in  order  to  touch  upon  the  leading  points  of  the  discourse. 
The  nature  of  the  case  neither  calls  for,  nor  admits,  the  poetic  fire  and 
animation  of  the  preceding  chapter.  The  flow  of  speech  seems  less 
animated.  The  abruptness  of  the  sentences,  however,  and  the  fre 
quent  transitions,  to  which  allusion  has  already  been  made,  occasion 
little  or  no  obscurity,  because  of  their  obvious  relation  to  the  preced 
ing  context.  It  ends,  as  we  might  expect  such  a  discourse  to  do,  with 
a  most  solemn  warning  against  the  crime  in  question,  by  setting  the 
fearful  and  inevitable  consequences  of  it  before  the  reader. 


PAK»  I— CHAP.  IX.  1,  2.  231 

The  chapter  begins  with  the  declaration,  that  Wisdom  has  provided 
herself  a  house  or  temple,  where  all  due  preparation  is  made  for  the 
feast,  to  which  she  invites  her  chosen  guests,  vs.  1,  2.  She  sends  forth 
her  criers  to  summon  these  guests ;  yet  not  any  one  and  every  one  is 
invited,  but  the  simple  who  lack  information,  vs.  3,  4.  The  scorner 
and  the  vile  transgressor  are  not  fitted  for  the  instructions  of  wisdom, 
and  would  not  receive  them  or  profit  by  them.  Her  guests  are  invited 
to  an  excellent  repast,  not  of  physical  luxuries,  but  (what  is  much 
better)  of  exhortations  to  walk  in  the  way  of  life,  vs.  5,  6.  Scorners 
refuse  reproof;  and  to  administer  it  only  brings  contempt  and  con 
tumely  on  the  reprover,  vs.  7,  8.  Not  so  with  the  wise,  v.  9.  Wis 
dom  is  the  fear  of  God,  which  secures  long  life ;  for  this  receives  a 
recompense  which  is  meet,  as  scorning  also  does,  vs.  9 — 12.  But  that 
enemy  of  all  true  wisdo^p,  the  adulteress,  who  watches  for  her  prey, 
and  gives  out  her  invitations,  addresses  the  simple,  and  tells  them 
that  "  stolen  waters  are  sweet,"  vs.  13 — 17.  It  is  an  unwary  youth, 
who  does  not  see  that  her  ways  lead,  as  they  surely  do,  to  destruction, 
v.  18.] 

(1)  Wisdom  hath  built  her  house,  she  hath  hewed  out  the  seven 
pillars  thereof. 

The  writer  had  just  spoken  of  watching  and  waiting  at 
the  doors  of  wisdom.  Here  he  assigns  to  her  a  dwelling,  — 
a  goodly  structure,  well  supported  and  magnificently  adorned, 
in  the  manner  of  a  temple.  The  apparent  plur.  nton  is 
virtually  an  abstract  noun,  and  ad  sensum  may  have  a  predi 
cate  in  the  sing.,  as  here;  see  1:  20. —  Seven  pillars  is  a 
sufficient  or  complete  number;  a  meaning  that  seven  often 
tropically  designates.  The  suff.  in  n^E?  may  apply  to  rva 
(for  this  is  sometimes  fern.),  and  so  I  have  applied  it  in  the 
version.  Berth.,  and  others,  refer  it  to  wisdom;  which, 
however,  seems  to  be  less  appropriate. 

(2)  She  hath  killed  her  slaughter-beasts,  she  hath  mingled  her  wine, 
she  hath  set  in  order  her  table. 

Some  refer  rna  to  an  animal  slaughtered  for  sacrifice  ; 
but  rnt  designates  this.  The  feast  here  does  not  appear  to 
be  a  sacrificial  onev  The  meaning  is,  that  she  has  prepared 


232  PART  I— CHAP.  1X.«B— 5. 

meat  for  the  feast,  to  which  she  invites  her  guests.  So  of 
the  wine,  which  she  has  mingled,  i.  e.  mixed  with  water,  or  it 
may  be  with  milk  (Is.  55 :  1)  ;  for  the  temperate  ancients 
never  drank  wine  undiluted.  All  the  predicates  and  suffixes 
here  are  singular;  which  shows  that  niBsn  above  is  re 
garded  in  that  light. 

(3)  She  hath  sent  forth  her  maidens,  she  maketh  proclamation  on 
the  ridges  of  the  high  places  of  the  city. 

Females  were  the  usual  heralds  of  good  tidings  among  the 
Hebrews;  see  Ps.  68:  12.  Is.  40:  9.  Here  it  is  appropri 
ate,  that  Wisdom  should  send  her/ewfa/e  servants,  in  order 
to  give  the  invitation  to  the  feast.  —  The  accents  join  anpn 
to  the  first  clause  of  the  verse  ;  wrongly,  for  it  leads  the 
second  clause.  —  She  makes  proclamation,  viz.,  by  her  mes 
sengers.  To  this  Berth,  assents.  —  ^BS ,  back,  ridges,  i.  e.  the 
summits  of  elevated  places,  from  which  proclamation  might 
most  extensively  be  made  and  heard. 

(4)  Whosoever  is  simple,  let  him  turn  aside  hither;  as  to  him  that 
lacketh  understanding,  she  saith  to  him  : 

1D^  would  normally  be  "ib^,  as  a  hortative  Imperf.;  but 
sometimes  the  same  hortative  tense  occurs  in  the  shape  pre 
sented  by  the  text,  §  71,  n.  4.  Turn  aside,  viz.,  from  the 
path  of  the  simple,  and  repair  to  the  house  of  Wisdom.  — 
*3D~"!Dn  may  be  taken  as  in  the  Nom.  abs.,  and  is  so  taken  in 
the  version  ;  or  we  may  bring  forward  the  IE  of  the  preceding 
clause,  and  translate  thus :  whoever  lacketh  understanding. 
The  sentence  is  left  unfinished  by  the  verse.  The  first 
clause  exhibits  the  words  of  Wisdom ;  the  second,  those  of 
the  writer. 

(5)  Come  ye.  feed  on  my  viands,  and  drink  the  wine  which  I  have 
mingled. 

The  plural  is  here  used,  because  the  address  is  to  many  in- 


PART  I—  CHAP.  IX,  6—10.  233 

dividuals,  to  each  and  every  simpleton.  —  cnb  means  generally 
to  eat;  and  dnb  means  first,  food  in  general,  and  then  bread. 

(6)  Forsake  simplicity,  and  ye  shall  live  ;  and  walk  in  the  way  of 
understanding. 

Q^xrQ,  abstract  plural  here,  lit.  simplicities.  —  Ye  shall 
live,  because  the  Imper.  is  here  used  in  the  sense  of  prom 
ise,  §  127.  2.  —  ITCJX,  Kal  Imper.,  more  usually  in  Piel. 

(7)  He  who  reproveth  a  scorner,  getteth  shame  for  himself;  and  he 
who  rebuketh  the  Avicked,  it  is  a  blot  to  him. 

That  is,  he  meets  with  shameful  and  reproachful  treat 
ment  ;  not  that  what  he  does  is  shameful,  but  that  the  man 
reproved  acts  shamefully  toward  him.  —  TQ*ra  ,  lit.  his  blot,  or 
reproach,  i.  e.  his  reproof  becomes  the  ground  of  reproach. 
Hence  the  caution  in  v.  8  : 

(8)  Reprove  not  a  scorner,  lest  he  hate  thee;  reprove  a  wise  man, 
and  he  will  love  thee. 

This  verse  gives  the  ground  of  the  preceding  assertion. 
The  hatred  of  the  scorner  is  roused  by  reproof,  and  so  he 
will  manifest  it  in  reproaches.  For  stiff.  ^-  (  =  ^2—  ),  see 
p.  289  Gramm.,  for  the  forms.  Exactly  the  reverse  will  be 
the  wise  man's  conduct.  He  will  be  grateful,  and  will  love 
thee  for  fidelity. 

(9)  Give  to  a  wise  man,  and  he  will  be  still  more  wise;  communi 
cate  knowledge  to  the  righteous  man,  and  he  will  add  to  his  learning. 

The  giving  in  this  case  implies  admonitory  counsel.  Sen 
timent  :  *  The  good  man  will  duly  appreciate  this,  and  so 
will  add  to  his  stock  of  instruction.' 

(10)  The    beginning   of   wisdom    is  the  fear  of  Jehovah;   and  a 
knowledge  of  the  Most  Holy,  is  understanding. 


may  indicate  here  the  first  or  leading  advantage  ; 
but  the  main  object  seems  to  be  to  assert  that  even  a  begin- 

20* 


234  PART  I—  CHAP.  IX.  11—14. 

ning  in  wisdom  cannot  be  made  without  the  fear  of  God.  — 
fcT*hfp,  (like&nnfc*),  plural  of  intensity,  the  meaning  of 
which  is  given  in  the  version.  The  same  in  30  :  3.  Scorners 
and  fools,  therefore,  who  have  no  fear  of  God,  cannot  attain 
true  wisdom. 

(11)  By  me  thy  days  shall  increase,  and  years  of  life  shall  be  added 
to  thee.  (12)  If  thou  becomcst  wise,  thou  art  wise  for  thyself;  and 
shouldest  thou  scorn,  thou  ajone  shalt  bear  it. 

V.  11  makes  the  usual  promise  of  long  life.  V.  12  shows 
the  advantage  to  be  gained  for  one's  self,  by  becoming  wise. 
—  Wise  for  thyself,  i.  e.  to  thine  own  advantage.  —  fisbn  may 
be  translated,  if  thou  scornest,  by  bringing  forward  the  QX  of 
the  preceding  clause.  The  same  thing  is  attained  by  the 
rendering  in  the  version.  N^n  (from  Kb5)  shalt  bear,  viz. 
the  consequences  of  scorning,  the  penalty  affixed  to  it,  for 
this  is  of  course  implied. 

(13)  A  foolish  woman  is  noisy,  she  is  silly,  and  knows  nothing. 


&s  ,  lit.  of  folly,  an  abstract  noun,  but  used  here  as  an 
adjective.  —  Noisy,  comp.  7  :  11,  i.  e.  is  bustling  about  and 
talking  much.  The  adulteress  is  of  course  here  aimed  at.  — 
n^H5  ,  with  nirx  implied  before  it,  from  the  preceding  clause, 
i.  e.  a  woman  of  simplicities,  or  a  very  silly  woman.  —  rra, 
anything.  The  Dagh.  is  merely  euphonic,  and  inserted 
because  of  the  Maqqeph,  so  as  to  make  a  kind  of  short 
syllable  with  the  preceding  vowel. 

(14)  She  sitteth  at  the  door  of  her  house  —  on  a  seat  in  the  high 
places  of  the  city. 

K&2  ,  seat,  lofty  seat,  but  not  throne  here,  unless  we  say, 
that  she  takes  her  seat  as  if  enthroned,  i.  e.  haughtily,  and 
also  in  a  splendid  dress.  The  idea  is  —  makes  herself  con 
spicuous  to  public  gaze,  and  challenges  attention.  —  Next 
t'ollvrs  ^e  design  in  view  : 


PART  I— CHAP.  IX.  15—18.  235 

(15)  In  order  to  call  to  passengers  on  the  way,  to  those  who  are 
going  straight  forward  in  their  paths. 

That  is,  in  order  to  allure  such  way-passengers  as  were 
going  directly  on  in  pursuit  of  their  proper  business,  and 
who  were  not  hunting  for  by-paths.  Of  course,  such  are  here 
considered  as  unwary  and  unguarded. 

(16)  Whosoever  is  simple  let  him  turn  aside  hither;  and  as  to  him 
that  lacketh  understanding,  she  saith  to  him:    (17)  Stolen  waters  are 
sweet,  and  bread  in  secret  places  is  pleasant. 

In  v.  16  the  same  thing  is  repeated,  which  is  said  of 
Wisdom  in  v.  4.  But  the  tenor  of  the  address  that  follows,  is 
of  course  opposite  to  that  in  v.  5,  seq.  Bertheau  represents 
v.  17  as  the  words  of  the  writer,  and  not  of  the  woman ;  but 
Umbreit  assigns  the  words  to  the  woman.  Rightly ;  for  they 
are  more  apposite  to  her  than  to  the  writer ;  who,  if  he  speaks 
them,  must  be  supposed  to  speak  ironically.  The  contents 
of  v.  17  are  undoubtedly  a  common  proverb.  But  this 
proverb  the  woman  dexterously  uses,  in  order  to  persuade 
the  simpleton.  Bread  f'lntp ,  of  secret  places,  means  bread 
eaten  in  secret  places,  i.  e.  in  the  retired  haunts  of  pleasure, 
whither  the  woman  will  conduct  her  guests. 

(18)  And  he  knoweth  not  that  the  Shades  are  there  —  her  guests 
in  the  depths  of  the  under-world. 

d^KBl.  ghosts,  umbrae,  the  dwellers  in  the  under-world. 
—  Her  guests,  lit.  those  invited  by  her  and  accepting  the  invita 
tion,  go  down  to  certain  destruction. 

Such  is  the  unhappy  end  of  him,  who  listens  to  the  invitations  of 
the  adulteress.  The  opposite  of  this,  (see  v.  11),  is  many  days  of  life, 
or  long  life.  Neither  the  promise  nor  the  threatening,  so  far  as  the 
language  here  employed  is  concerned,  goes  beyond  the  retributions  of 
the  present  world.  How  much  was  at  that  time  supposed  to  be 
implied,  however,  by  such  language,  beyond  its  first  and  obvious 
meaning,  i.  e.  whether  the  language  is  tropically  or  literally  employed, 
is  a  question  which  it  would  be  difficult  to  answer.  It  may  have 
depended  much  on  subjective  knowledge  and  feeling,  in  particular 


28G  PART  li-CHAP.  X.  1—3. 


TAUT  11.     CHAP.  X.  1—32. 

[A  summary  of  this  is  out  of  the  question  ;  inasmach  as  scarcely 
any  two  verses  are  connected  together,  and  never  more  than  two. 
Each  verse  is,  almos-t  without  exception,  complete  in  itself.  The 
whole  composition  is  strictly  and  invariably  apothegmatic  ;  and  in  a 
large  proportion  of  the  cases,  the  second  or^of  is  in  contrast  with  the 
first.  The  regular  arrangement  of  all  this,  shows  great  care  and  skill 
in  the  selection.  Of  course,  in  such  a  composition,  the  only  connec 
tion  which  one  verse  has  with  another,  is  that  of  similarity  of  con 
struction  and  rhythm,  there  being  usually  the  same  number  of  words 
in  each  verse.  Brevity,  energy,  and  vivacity  of  expression,  character 
ize  the  whole.  For  particulars,  see  Introduction,  §  6.] 

(1)  THE   PROVERBS  OF  SOLOMON.    A  wise  son  maketh  a  glad 
father  ;  but  a  foolish  son  is  the  grief  of  his  mother. 

Wise  and  foolish  have  now  become  very  significant  words, 
by  reason  of  what  has  already  been  said  concerning  wisdom 
and  folly.  —  The  Hebrews  said  :  the  grief  of  his  mother,  as 
in  our  text  ;  we  should  more  readily  say  :  A  grief  to  his 
mother. 

(2)  The  treasures  of  wickedness  do  not  profit;  but  righteousness 
delivereth  from  death. 

In  these  contrasts,  a  1  almost  everywhere  stands  at  the 
head  of  the  second  clause,  and  in  the  sense  of  but,  §  152.  B. 
b.  —  Do  not  profit,  because  they  cannot  deliver  from  death 
the  possessors  of  them  ;  on  the  contrary,  righteousness  does 
deliver.  Not  from  natural  death,  (for  all  die),  but  from 
that  death  which  is  a  punishment  for  crime,  or  (in  other 
words)  from  sudden  death. 

(3)  Jehovah  will  not  suffer  the  soul  of  the  righteous  to  hunger  ;  but 
the  greedy  desire  of  the  wicked  will  he  repel. 


The  Hiph.  form,  l"1^  ,  has  here  the  modified  sense  of 
permitting  to  be  hungry,  or  letting  one  go  hungry,  not  that  of 


PART  II— CHAP.  X.  4—7.  237 

making  hungry.  Sentiment:  'The  Lord  will  provide  all 
needed  good  for  the  righteous;  but  the  cravings  of  the 
wicked  he  will  refuse  to  satisfy.' 

(4)  Poor  is  he,  who  worketh  with  a  slack  hand ;  but  the  hand  of 
the  diligent  maketh  rich. 

,  more  usually  written  £n .  —  nrb>,  doeth,  worketh,  with 
implied,  or  rather,  the  Part,  itself  of  course  implies  an 
indefinite  Nom.,  when  it  is  not  expressed.  —  Slack  hand, 
lit.  deceit/id  hand,  the  Ace.  of  instrument,  §  135.  n.  3. — 
i"P2*i  f  which  lit.  means  deceitful,  is  here  rendered  slack,  i.  e. 
sluggish,  because  such  a  hand  frustrates  all  reasonable  ex 
pectation  of  accomplishing  the  end  desired.  Besides,  it  is 
opposed  to  the  hand  of  the  diligent,  which  of  course  implies 
activity  and  energy. 

(5)  He  who  gathereth  in  summer  is  a  wise  son ;  he  who  sleepeth  in 
harvest-time,  is  a  base  son. 

The  two  participles  here,  as  usual,  supply  their  own  indef. 
Nom.,  viz.  whoever,  or  he  who,  is  qui.  —  C;p3  is  Part.  Niph., 
because  Kal  is  not  used,  and  is  employed  in  the  simple 
intrans.  sense,  as  Kal  might  be.  —  Izarra  >  lit.  causing  shame  ; 
which  is  equivalent  to  base. 

(6)  Blessings  are  on  the  head  of  the  righteous;  but  the  mouth  of 
the  wicked  concealeth  injury. 

That  is,  blessings  will  come  upon  the  righteous,  because 
of  the  good  they  do ;  but  the  wicked  conceal  or  keep  secret 
a  meditated  injury,  i.  e.  the  mouth  speaks  not  concerning  it, 
in  order  that,  by  secrecy,  they  may  strike  the  surer  blow. 
The  injured,  in  such  a  case,  will  bestow  no  blessings  on 
them.  This  last  thought  is  implied,  but  not  expressed.  — 
m's^a  j  plural  of  intensity,  i.  e.  abundant  blessing. 

(7)  The  memory  of  the  just  shall  be  blessed  ;  but  the  name  of  the 
wicked  shall  rot. 


238  PART  II—  CHAP.  X.  8—11. 


,  lit.  for  a  blessing,  which  means,  that  every  one 
who  recalls  the  memory  of  the  just,  shall  do  it  with  invoking 
a  blessing  on  him,  (the  usual  custom  of  the  East,  down  to 
the  present  hour)  ;  so  this  =  blessed.  —  aj?1}  ,  spoken  of  wood, 
means  to  be  worm-eaten,  or  as  we  say  :  powder-posted  ;  con 
sequently,  in  a  fragile  and  perishable  condition.  Tropically 
taken,  it  means  shall  be  loathsome. 

(8)  The  wise  of  heart  will  receive  commands  ;  but  he  who  is  fool 
ish  with  his  lips,  shall  rush  headlong. 

Commands  are  those  of  God,  or  of  wisdom.  —  Foolish  with 
his  lips  =  speaks  foolishly.  —  cnnBto  may  be  a  Gen.  after 
the  adjective  before  it  ;  or  it  may  be  taken  as  the  Ace.  of 
manner.  —  BS^  ,  in  Niph.  as  intrans.  Kal,  because  Kal  is 
not  here  employed. 

(9)  He  who  walketh  in  integrity,  walketh  safely;  but  he  who  per- 
verteth  his  ways,  shall  be  discovered. 

TjVi  >  Imperf.  of  tjb^  ,  accent  retracted,  and  therefore  the 
normal  Tseri  final  is  shortened  ;  and  all  this,  because  a 
tone-syllable  immediately  follows,  §  29.  3.  b.  —  The  deceiver 
shall  be  made  known  =  shall  be  discovered. 


(10)  He  who  winketh  with  the  eye  shall  give  pain  ;  and  he  who  is 
foolish  with  his  lips,  shall  rush  headlong. 

Eye  and  lips,  Ace.  of  instrument,  and  so  we  supply  with 
in  English.  —  ras?  ,  a  Piel  form,  intensive  ;  Qamets  in  pause. 
Meaning  :  '  He  who  is  trickish  and  deceitful,  shall  be  duly 
punished.' 

(11)  A  fountain  of  life  is  the  mouth  of  the  righteous  ;  but  the 
mouth  of  the  wicked  concealeth  injury. 

The  righteous  speaks  words  adapted  to  preserve  life,  he 
gives  saving  or  salutary  counsel  ;  the  wicked  use  deceit,  in 
order  to  perpetrate  injuries. 


PART  II—  CHAP.  X.  12—16.  239 

(12)  Hatred  stirreth  up  strifes;  but  love  covereth  over  all  trans 
gressions. 


Imperf.  Polel  of  1W,  1  after  3  being  omitted.— 
fc^Ta  ,  from  •j'ra  ,  root  -p'n  .  —  Meaning  :  '  The  spirit  of  true 
love  is  ever  ready  to  pity  and  forgive  transgressions.' 

(13)  In  the  lips  of  the  intelligent,  wisdom  is  found;  but  a  rod  is 


Wisdom  utters  not  that  which  will  be  injurious  ;  but  a 
fool  says  that  which  will  be  likely  to  provide  a  rod  for  him. 

(14)  The  wise  treasure  up  knowledge  ;  but  the  mouth  of  a  fool  is 
destruction  near  at  hand. 


X"?  may  mean  lay  up,  in  the  sense  of  a  prudent  holding 
back  of  communications,  on  some  occasions  where  they  might 
do  harm  =  "  Cast  not  your  pearls  before  swine."  The  other 
clause  shows,  that  the  words  of  a  fool  are  such  as  often  occa 
sion  his  speedy  destruction.  —  n^Pfp  here  means  imminent, 
for  what  is  close  by  is  ready  to  act. 

(15)  The  wealth  of  the  ricli  man  is  his  strong  city;  the  destruction 
of  the  poor  is  their  poverty. 

This  is  of  course  to  be  qualified.  The  simple  meaning  is  : 
'  There  are  times  when  the  wealth  of  the  rich  will  avert 
danger  and  suffering  ;  and  at  such  a  time  the  poor  may 
perish  for  want  of  money.' 

(16)  The  work  of  the  righteous  is  unto  life;  the  earnings  of  the 
wicked  arc  unto  sin. 

Bertheau  and  Umbreit  render  r&s'S  by  Lohn,  reward.  So 
indeed  the  word  may  mean.  But  its  primary  meaning,  given 
above,  is  well  ;  and  so  the  ancient  Versions.  The  meaning 
is,  that  the  promise  to  righteous  doing  is  life,  i.  e.  long  life  ; 
hence  the  tendency  of  the  doing  is  unto  life.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  fruits  of  wicked  doing,  i.  e.  the  earnings  of  the 
\vioked,  tend  to  sin.  In  other  words:  '  They  so  appropriate 


240  PART  II— CHAP.  X.  17—20. 

their  earnings  as  to  lead  them  into  sin ;  or,  their  earnings 
are  acquired  by  sinful  practices,'  and  so  bring  on  them  the 
evils  of  sin. 

(17)  A  way  of  life  is  he  who  keepcth  instruction  ;  but  he  who  for- 
saketli  reproof,  leadeth  astray. 

In  other  words,  the  well-instructed  man  gives  discreet 
counsel,  which  points  out  the  way  of  life.  So  Christ,  as 
teacher,  is  called  the  way,  John  14:  6.  —  !r?rra,  causeth  to 
wander,  or  leadeth  astray,  namely,  from  the  path  of  life.  As 
the  righteous  points  to  this  path,  by  instruction,  and  by  his 
own  example  in  following  it,  so  the  wicked  lead  astray  by 
precept  and  by  example. 

(18)  He  who  concealeth  hatred  is  of  lying  lips  ;  and  he  who  uttereth 
slander,  is  a  very  fool. 

ijDia  "^Bto  is  preceded,  no  doubt,  by  ui^X  implied,  i.  e.  a 
man  of  lying  lips.  But  the  version  gives  the  idea  sufficiently 
well. —  fits-ia ,  Hiph.  Part,  of  KSJ ,  lit.  causes  to  go  forth,  which, 
applied  to  slander,  means  uttering  it.  —  Nlii ,  he  is,  (§  119.  2). 
The  design  of  it  here  is  to  give  intensity  to  the  expression  ; 
which  I  have  imitated  in  the  version. 

(19)  In  multiplying  words  there  will  be  no  lack  of  transgression  ; 
but  he  who  restraineth  his  lips  is  prudent. 

a'"i  is  the  Inf.  const,  of  33^ .  If  it  were  a  noun,  it  would 
shorten  its  vowel,  and  read  "2~\  ,  robh.  Sentiment :  '  Much 
speaking  exposes  one  to  say  things  that  will  be  injurious  ; 
(see  the  graphic  passage  relative  to  this,  in  Ecc.  5 :  1 — 7)  ; 
and  therefore  a  prudent  man  will  guard  well  his  lips.' 

(20)  Choice  silver  is  the  tongue  of  the  righteous:  the  heart  of  the 
wicked  is  worthless. 

The  tongue  utters  words ;  the  heart  conceives  them ;  so 
that  tongue  and  heart  have,  in  this  passage,  substantially  the 
same  thing  in  view.  It  is  assumed  here,  that  the  righteous 


PART  II— CHAP.  X.  21—23.  241 

utters  that  which  is  accordant  with  his  character,  and  then 
his  words  are  of  much  worth.  But  the  conceptions  of  the 
wicked  are  rasps ,  lit.  as  a  very  little  thing  =  worthless,  as 
expressed  in  the  version. 

(21)  The  lips  of  the  righteous  feed  many;  but  fools  die  for  lack  of 
understanding. 

Feeding  with  the  lips,  of  course  means  imparting  instruc 
tion.  A  teacher  was  called  fis'i ,  i.  e.  a  feeder,  by  the  He 
brews  ;  and  so  the  New  Testament  noipTjv  ;  comp.  vs.  11, 17. 
—  "tort  may  be,  and  probably  is,  the  Inf.  const,  nominascens 
of  the  verb  *iOn .  « Fools,  who  will  not  receive  the  food 
(the  instruction)  which  the  righteous  impart,  perish  for  lack 
of  knowledge.'  Perhaps  "ion  is  const,  of  ion  adj. ;  if  so, 
then  we  must  translate  thus  :  through  him  that  lackeih  under 
standing  ;  the  meaning  then  is,  that  fools  die  by  the  influence 
over  them  of  foolish  men. 

(22)  The  blessing  of  Jehovah  —  that  maketh  rich;    nor  will  he 
increase  sorrow  therewith. 

&rri ,  that,  is  intensive ;  as  much  as  to  say :  this  is  that 
which,  i.  e.  this  and  nothing  else.  —  CjO'n ,  Imperf.  Hiph.  with 
i  formative  omitted.  The  Nom.  to  this  verb  seems  to  be 
Jehovah,  taken  from  the  first  clause :  Jehovah  will  not  in 
crease,  etc.  Sentiment :  '  God's  blessing  enriches,  and  that 
without  increasing  sorrow.'  The  meaning  is  not,  that  he 
who  is  enriched  shall  have  no  sorrows  in  the  present  life ; 
but  that  sorrows  are  not  of  necessity  increased  by  riches, 
when  it  is  Jehovah  who  bestows  them.  The  prosperity  of 
the  mere  worldling,  procured  by  unlawful  means,  brings 
many  sorrows  with  it;  comp.  the  vivid  picture  of  this,  in 
Ecc.  2:21—23.  5:  10,  11.  6:  1,  2.  — flas,  with  it,  viz., 
with  the  bestowment  of  the  blessing. 

(23)  It  is  like  sport  to  a  fool  to  do  mischief;  but  wisdom  belongeth 
to  the  man  of  understanding. 

21 


242  PART  II— CHAP.  X.  24—27. 

pl'nia ,  Inf.  nominasc.  —  To  do  mischief,  lit.  to  execute  an 
evil  device,  evil  because  mischievous.  Of  course,  a  man  of 
understanding  will  not  regard  doing  mischief  as  sport  or  a 
joke,  but  as  a  very  serious  matter. 

(24)  The  terror  of  the  wicked  —  that  shall  come  upon  him ;  but  the 
desire  of  the  righteous  he  will  grant. 

Terror  here  means  that  which  is  feared,  i.  e.  the  ground  of 
terror.  —  issoinn,  Imperf.  third  fern,  of  xi's,  with  the  suff. 
33- .  —  *$*  has  doubtless  Jehovah  implied  for  its  Nom. ;  see 
v.  22.  The  nature  of  the  case  also  implies  thus  much  ;  for 
we  may  ask :  Who  punishes  the  wicked  ?  Who  blesses  the 
righteous  ?  And  the  answer  is  spontaneous. 

(25)  When  the  whirlwind  passeth  over,  the  wicked  is  no  more;  but 
as  to  the  righteous  —  there  is  an  eternal  foundation. 

The  3  before  the  Inf.  is  here  expressive  of  time,  i.  e. 
when;  and  so  oftentimes.  —  s>dn  "pxi,  lit.  then  is  not  the 
wicked.  I  have  conformed  it  more  closely  to  our  own  idiom. 
—  But  the  whirlwind  produces  no  effect  on  the  established 
righteous,  because  he  stands  on  a  foundation  that  is  never  to 
be  moved,  or  which  is  eternal. 

(26)  As  vinegar  to  the  teeth,  and  as  smoke  to  the  eyes,  so  is  a  slug 
gard  to  those  who  send  him. 

Every  one's  experience  readily  explains  this.  Vinegar 
sets  the  teeth  on  edge,  as  we  express  it;  smoke  causes 
painful  excitement  to  the  eyes ;  and  a  vexation  like  to 
these  is  a  sluggard  who  is  commissioned  on  an  errand  that 
requires  haste.  The  article  follows  the  3  of  comparison 
here  throughout;  §  107.  n.  1.  a.  —  Tnbiu ,  Part.  plur.  with 
suffix. 

(27)  The  fear  of  Jehovah  will  increase  days:  but  the  years  of  the 
nicked  shall  be  curtailed. 

A  sentiment  very  often  repeated,  and  oi:<>  on  which  much 


PART  II  —  CHAP.  X.  28—31.  243 


stress  is  laid.  —  Days  of  course  means  time.  —  n^pn  ,  in 
Kal,  but  being  intrans.  here,  it  may  be  rendered  passively. 

(28)  The  expectation  of  the  righteous  is  joyful:  but  the  hope  of 
the  wicked  shall  perish. 

Joyful,  lit.  joy  ;  and  it  is  so,  because  he  believes  that  his 
expectation  will  be  realized.  TJie  hopes  of  the  wicked,  on 
the  other  hand,  will  be  frustrated. 

(29)  A  strong  hold  for  uprightness  is  the  way  of  Jehovah  ;  but 
destruction  is  for  the  workers  of  iniquity. 

The  way  of  Jehovah,  is  the  way  in  which  he  acts  ;  so  that 
the  sentiment  stands  thus  :  <  The  upright  will  find  protection, 
in  the  doings  or  providential  arrangements  of  Jehovah.' 
This  same  way  of  his  will  bring  destruction  upon  the  wicked. 

(30)  The  righteous  shall  never  be  moved  ;  but  the  wicked  shall  not 
inhabit  the  land. 


Heb.  not  forever  =  never.  —  Bisa";,  Niph.  Imperf.  of  wn. 
The  threatening  here  is  equivalent  to  other  threatenings, 
which  declare  that  the  wicked  shall  be  cut  off  —  shall  not  live 
out  half  their  days,  etc.  —  The  land  here  means  the  promised 
land,  i.  e.  Palestine.  But  under  this  promise,  a  more  gen 
eral  truth  may  lie. 

(.31  )  The  mouth  of  the  just  bringcth  forth  wisdom;  but  the  tongue 
of  perversity  shall  be  cut  out. 

n»r  ,  lit.  germinates,  shoots  forth  in  buds,  and  thence,  more 
generally,  produces  or  brings  forth.  —  ni's^ntn  ,  plur.  of 
intensity,  or  else  the  fern.  plur.  simply  for  an  abstract  noun. 

We  say  of  the  tongue,  cut  out,  rather  than  cut,  or  cut  off. 
This  shows  the  difference  between  the  language  and  thoughts 
of  the  righteous  and  the  wicked  ;  the  one  inculcates  wisdom, 
the  other  speaks  that  which  condemns  him  to  the  loss  of  his 


244  PART  II— CHAP.  XI.  1—3. 

(32)  The  lips  of  the  righteous  know  what  is  well-pleasing ;  but  th« 
mouth  of  the  wicked  is  perverse. 

"Jl'S'n,  lit.  approbation,  pleasure;  used  as  an  adjective, 
well-pleasing,  viz.,  to  Jehovah.  Hence  his  blessing  on  the 
righteous.  But  the  wicked  utter  only  perversities,  i.  e.  a 
series  of  falsehood  and  deceit,  —  the  plur.  being  intensive ; 
which  of  course  cannot  be  well-pleasing  to  God. 

CHAP.  XI.  1—31. 

(1)  Balances  of  deceit  are  the  abomination  of  Jehovah;  but  a 
complete  weight  is  his  delight. 

The  balances  here  mentioned  are  such  as  are  provided 
with  false  weights,  for  the  purposes  of  fraud.  —  What  we 
call  full  weight,  is  in  Hebrew  lit.  a  stone  of  completeness. 
The  weights  were  stones  ;  and  they  were  complete  when  they 
were  full  or  exact. 

(2)  Does  pride  come,  then  shame  will  come;  but  with  the  humble 
is  wisdom. 

The  1  before  »bj  is  the  Vav  consequential ;  and  so  have  I 
translated.  —  fiisw*  is  an  unusual  word  in  poetry,  but  the 
meaning  here  is  plain,  "pit  characterizes  lofty  assuming  de 
meanor,  while  riss  means  to  carry  one's  self  meekly  and  lowly. 

(3)  The  integrity  of  the  upright  shall  lead  them ;  but  the  perverse- 
ness  of  the  treacherous  shall  destroy  them. 


anil-3,  Hiph.  Imperf.  of  nni,  with  plur.  suff.  —  twigi, 
should  be  read  as  in  the  Qeri  with  i  prefix,  and  then  it  is 
the  Imperf.  of  Tra  with  a  suff.,  and  this  calls  forth  the  Dagl 
in  the  'n. — Lead  them,  e.  g.  as  a  shepherd  leads  his  sheep, 
and  therefore  in  the  path  of  safety  and  peace.  —  Destroy 
them  has  here  an  intensive  word  in  the  Heb.,  quasi  lay  hold 
on  them  with  violent  force. 


PART  II—  CHAP.  XI.  4—8.  245 

(4)  Wealth  will  not  profit  in  the  day  of  wrath  ;  but  righteousness 
will  deliver  from  death. 


SI'i,  Hiph.  of  b?j.  —  Wrath  here  means  divine  indigna 
tion  ;  see  Ezek.  7:  19. 

(5)  The  righteousness  of  the  upright  shall  make  even  his  way; 
but  the  wicked  shall  fall  by  his  wickedness.  (6)  The  righteousness 
of  the  upright  shall  deliver  them  ;  but  by  their  own  greedy  desire  the 
treacherous  shall  be  ensnared. 

An  even  way  is  one  on  which  the  righteous  will  not  stum 
ble.  —  Deliver  them,  viz.,  from  punishment  or  evil.  —  Greedy 
desire  will  strongly  tempt  men  to  sin,  and  so  they  will  be 
ensnared. 

(7)  When  a  wicked  man  dieth,  his  hope  shall  perish  ;  and  the  ex 
pectation  of  the  afflicted  perisheth. 

His  hope  of  riches  or  pleasures  perishes  at  death.  — 
n^i'x  ,  is  however  a  doubtful  word.  Most  have  taken  it  as  a 
noun  plur.  from  fc^j<  ,  baseness.  But  it  may  be  regarded  as  a 
Part,  here  ;  see  Hos.  9  :  4,  and  Hitzig  in  loc.  If  a  Part. 
from  "jsix  =  Chald.  ",5X  ,  then  it  signifies  afflicted.  The 
meaning  of  the  verse  then  would  be,  that  *  when  the  wicked 
die,  all  their  hopes  perish  ;  and  when  they  are  sick  and  af 
flicted,  their  expectation  of  recovery  or  alleviation  will  be 
frustrated/  So  Bertheau,  and  so  the  Vulg.  ;  and  the  sense 
thus  given  is  striking.  There  is  indeed  no  antithesis  here, 
but  the  representation  is  climactic.  The  truth  of  the  first 
clause  is  plain  to  all  ;  the  second  will  strike  with  the  more 
force,  because  it  shows  the  extent  of  the  mischief  which 
wickedness  occasions.  However,  the  other  interpretation  is 
not  a  bad  one  :  The  expectation  of  baseness  [of  the  base~\  shall 
perish.  The  plur.  d^aix  is,  when  thus  understood,  a  plur. 
of  intensity.  But  the  first  method  is  somewhat  more  specific. 

(8)  The  righteous  shall  be  rescued  from  distress;  and  the  wicked 
shall  come  in  his  stead. 

21* 


246  PART  II—  CUAP.  XL  9—12. 

Safety  is  here  pledged  to  the  righteous  ;  while  the  wicked 
is  doomed  to  the  suffering  of  that  which  was  before  urgent 
on  the  righteous. 

(9)  By  the  mouth,  a  vile  person  desti-oys  his  neighbor  ;  but  by  the 
knowledge  of  the  righteous  shall  he  be  delivered. 


By  the  mouth,  i.  e.  by  what  the  mouth  speaks.  — 
Niph.  Imperf.  plural,  although  neighbor  (sing.)  is  the  subject. 
But  then,  this  word  is  here  virtually  a  noun  of  multitude, 
meaning  every  and  any  neighbor.  A  plur.  verb  in  such  case 
is  very  common. 

(10)  When  it  goeth  well  with  the  righteous,  the  city  rejoiceth  ;  but 
when  the  wicked  perish,  there  is  shouting. 

Here  are  two  Infinitives  const,  with  s  before  them,  both 
governing  the  Gen.  as  Inf.  nominascens.  Here  are  also  two 
rejoicings.  The  first  is  the  joy  which  men  usually  feel, 
when  the  righteous  are  prospered  ;  the  second  is  the  shout  of 
exultation,  when  base  transgressors-  fall. 

(11)  By  the  blessing  of  the  upright,  the  city  shall  be  exalted;  but 
by  the  mouth  of  the  wicked,  it  shall  be  razed. 


Exalted,  ETifi  ,  seems  here  to  mean,  put  in  a  condition  of 
safety,  or  out  of  the  reach  of  assault;  like  sab,  which 
means  first  to  exalt,  and  then  to  render  safe.  The  ground  of 
the  figure  is  a  high  wall,  or  a  munition  of  rocks,  the  loftiness 
of  which  secures  the  safety  of  the  enclosed  city.  —  The 
mouth  of  the  wicked  is  here  supposed  to  utter  curses  or  false 
hoods,  so  as  to  bring  vengeance  on  the  city,  or,  so  to  speak,  as 
to  betray  it  by  traitorous  communications. 

(12)  He  that  useth  despitcfully  his  neighbor,  is  one  who  lacketh 
understanding  ;  but  the  man  of  intelligence  will  keep  silence. 

tS  ,  Part,  of  MS  ,  seems  here  to  mean  the  utterance  of  con 
temptuous  and  slanderous  language,  which  is  despiteful 
usage  ;  for,  as  opposed  to  this  (in  the  next  clause)  stands 


PART  11— CHAP.  XL  13— Ib.  247 

keep  silence,  i.  e.  will  not  utter  reproaches  ;  either  he  will  be 
silent  where  others  reproach  ;  or,  he  will  be  silent  in  respect 
to  that,  which  the  fool  treats  and  speaks  of  contemptuously. 

(13)  He  who  goeth  about  as  a  slanderer,  rcvcaleth  secrets;  but  he 
who  is  of  a  faithful  spirit,  concealeth  a  matter. 

In  other  words :  A  slanderer  will  even  reveal  secrets,  in 
order  to  gratify  his  propensity  for  prating  ;  but  a  man  of  a 
trusty  spirit  will  conceal  what  is  committed  to  him  in  confi 
dence.  —  1^X5  in  const,  state,  so  that  the  final  Qamets  of  the 
Part,  form  is  shortened,  §  110.  2. 

(14)  Where  there  is  no  guidance  the  people  fall;  but  by  an  increase 
of  counsellors  there  is  safety. 

rvibann,  plur.  abstract,  lit.  pilotage,  steer smanship,  from 
ban ,  rope,  or  brsh ,  sailor  ==  rope-man  ;  like  our  English  Salt 
for  sailor.  All  these  meanings  are  secondary  and  tropical, 
for  the  root  seems  rather  diverse  from  them.  —  nH ,  Inf.  of 
SS^ .  —  ITJI'I  ,  Part,  used  as  a  noun ;  and  as  it  is  here  used 
in  a  generic  sense,  it  may  therefore  be  regarded  and  rendered 
as  a  plural.  So  I  have  given  it  in  the  version. 

(15)  An  evil  man  showeth  himself  as  evil,  when  he  giveth  pledge 
for  a  stranger :  but  he  who  hateth  the  striking  of  hands,  shall  be  safe. 

3W ,  Niph.  Imperf.  of  sn ,  and  in  its  reflexive  sense  ;  as 
in  the  version.  He  shows  himself  as  evil,  by  hastily  pledging 
himself,  and  then  not  redeeming  his  pledge  as  promised.  — 
n^'p'in  means  lit.  those  who  strike  hands,  being  to  appearance 
a  participle.  The  translation,  however,  I  have  made  so  as 
to  refer  rather  to  the  action  than  to  the  agents.  —  Much  diffi 
culty  has  been  made  with  this  verse,  by  taking  an  as  Inf. 
abs.  in  Kal,  from  yn .  Erroneously,  for  this  would  be  ?"h  f 
and  not  sn .  But  the  method  of  explanation,  proposed  in 
the  version,  is  easy  and  obvious. 

(16)  A  beautiful  woman  taketh  fast  hold  of  honor;  even  as  the 
mighty  grasp  at  riches. 


248  PART  II—  CHAP.  XL   17—19. 


honor  ,  in  opposition  to  shame.  A  woman  truly 
lovely  will  be  eager  to  maintain  strict  propriety  of  conduct, 
instead  of  subjecting  herself  to  reproach  and  shame.  — 
tj'vxi'ns  ,  generally  violent,  terrible,  but  also  very  powerful,  as 
here  ;  see  Lex.  The  meaning  of  the  whole  is,  that  a  lovely 
woman  will  be  as  solicitous  to  maintain  her  honor,  as  the 
mighty  usually  are  in  quest  of  spoil  or  riches.  Here  com 
parison  is  signified  by  the  1  before  the  second  clause,  and 
therefore  we  may  translate  it  —  and  so,  or  even  as,  §  152. 
B.  3. 

(17)  He  who  doeth  good  to  himself,  is  a  man  of  kindness  ;  but  he 
who  troubleth  his  own  flesh,  is  cruel. 

The  design  of  this  is  not  to  recommend  selfishness,  in  the 
proper  sense  of  that  word,  but  a  wise  and  prudent  care  and 
solicitude  for  one's  own  real  good.  This  is  kindness,  i.  e. 
kindness  to  himself.  On  the  contrary,  he  who  vexes  him 
self  by  an  improper  course  of  conduct,  is  cruel  to  himself. 

(18)  The   wicked   acquireth   deceitful  gain;  but  he  that  soweth 
righteousness  —  a  sure  reward. 


is  not  only  work,  but  also  the  fruits  of  it,  i.  e.  reward 
or  gain.  To  deceitful  gain  stands  opposed  sure  reward. 
Before  nsiiJ  ,  one  may  supply,  if  he  chooses,  ntob  from  the 
preceding  clause. 

(19)  As  is  righteousness  in  respect  to  life,  even  so  is  he  that  pur- 
sueth  evil  in  respect  to  death. 

That  is,  righteousness  will  gain  the  sure  reward  (before 
mentioned),  and  wickedness  will  meet  with  its  recompense, 
viz.  death.  Some  take  *3  as  a  noun  =  steadfastness,  and 
some  as  an  adjective,  firm,  fixed.  But  this  is  unnecessary. 
The  usual  sense,  as  above,  is  well.  The  Sept.  and  Syr.  read 
•ja,  son.  The  text,  from  the  seeming  imperfection  of  its 
present  construction,  appears  to  have  been  disturbed  ;  or,  at 
least,  it  was  misread,  by  some  of  the  translators  in  ancient 
times. 


PART  II—  CHAP.  XI.  20—23.  249 

(20)  The  perverse  of  heart  are  the  abomination  of  Jehovah;  but 
those  who  are  upright  in  their  way,  are  his  delight.  {21  )  Hand  to 
hand,  the  evil  man  shall  not  go  free  ;  but  the  seed  of  the  righteous 
shall  be  delivered. 

In  v.  21,  we  have  two  adjectives  in  the  const,  state,  before 
the  nouns  which  modify  them  ;  which  construction  is  very 
frequent  in  this  book,  and  common  elsewhere.  —  "nb  T)  ,  is 
an  expression  sui  generis.  Different  meanings  have  been 
assigned  to  it  ;  (a)  Hand  against  hand,  i.  e.  one  man's  hand 
against  his  neighbor's  =  the  injurious  man.  (b)  From  one 
hand  to  another  =  from  one  generation  to  another,  (c)  Join 
ing  hand  to  hand,  in  the  way  or  as  a  token  of  assurance  = 
truly,  verily.  All  these  are  little  better  than  guesses.  The 
phrase  is  evidently  a  proverbial  one,  and,  like  other  brief 
gnomes,  it  is  doubtless  abridged  or  compressed.  The  most 
simple  interpretation  is  that  of  J.  H.  Michaelis  :  *  Hand 
joined  to  hand,  will  not  protect  the  guilty,  or  get  him  clear.' 
In  other  words  :  *  Let  the  evil  man  struggle  with  all  his 
might,  he  will  not  escape.'  This  is  a  good  sense,  and,  in  my 
view,  the  most  easy  and  natural  of  all.  The  same  is  repeated 
in  16  :  5. 

(22)  A  ring  of  gold  in  the  snout  of  a  swine,  is  a  beautiful  woman 
who  departs  from  sound  discretion. 

In  other  words  :  Her  beauty  is  like  a  gold  ring  in  the 
snout  of  a  swine,  in  case  she  departs  from  sound  propriety 
in  her  conduct.  A  homely  proverb,  but  very  expressive. 
,  Part.  fern,  const,  of  *viO,  lit.  a  receder  from. 


(23  )  The  desire  of  the  righteous  is  good  only;  the  expectation  of 
the  wicked  is  indignation. 

That  is,  the  desire  of  the  righteous  will  end  in  good  or 
blessing  ;  for  God  blesses  the  obedient.  The  wicked,  too, 
have  desire  or  expectations  ;  but  they  will  end  in  indigna 
tion,  i.  e.  in  bringing  upon  them  the  wrath  of  God,  or  punish 
ment. 


250  PAKT  lI-CHAi>.  XL  24— 26. 

(24)  There  is  who  scattered],  and  yet  addition  is  made ;  and  he 
who  holdeth  back  more  than  is  right,  [it  will  be]  only  to  poverty. 

That  is,  there  are  those  who  give  liberally,  and  yet  grow 
rich.  —  fjOia,  addition  is  made,  Part.  Niphal.  There  is  a 
different  class,  who  keep  back  "IT^E  beyond  rectitude,  i.  e.  more 
than  what  is  just  and  proper,  and  yet  they  grow  poor  in 
spite  of  their  parsimony.  Schultens  and  Bertheau  take  Tip 
here  in  the  Arabic  sense  of  the  word,  viz.  riches.  But  this 
is  against  the  rule  which  binds  us  to  the  Hebrew  alone,  so 
long  as  the  word  in  question  is  sufficiently  used  to  make  it 
plain ;  which  is  the  case  here.  '  Mean  parsimony  tends 
only  to  poverty,'  is  the  sentiment  of  the  last  clause ;  and 
this  is  so  significant,  that  we  need  not  forsake  the  usual 
meaning  of  the  Hebrew. 

(25)  The  soul  of  blessing  shall  be  well  nourished ;  and  he  who 
waters,  even  the  same  shall  be  watered. 

Soul  of  blessing,  designates  here,  a  man  who  cheerfully 
imparts  blessings.  —  1^^  >  lit.  shall  be  made  fat ;  the  real 
idea  is  given  in  the  version.  —  rn*^ ,  Part.  Hiph.  of  nil ; 
but  the  following  ao'n  comes  from  rnj ,  and  is  Imperf.  Hiph., 
the  final  K  being  put  for  the  in,  as  the  vowel-points  show, 
§  74.  n.  22.  That  is :  '  The  liberal  man  shall  be  liberally 
treated.' 

(26)  He  who  keepeth  back  corn  —  the  people  shall   curse  him;  but 
blessings  shall  be  on  the  head  of  him  who  procureth  grain. 

This  refers  to  those,  who,  in  a  time  of  famine,  hoard  up 
their  stores  of  corn  in  order  to  sell  at  a  very  advanced  price, 
and  thus  take  advantage  of  the  poor  and  starving.  —  Bless 
ings  on  the  head,  because,  in  the  act  of  blessing,  the  hands 
of  him  who  blessed  were  laid  on  the  head  of  the  object  of 
blessing.  —  l^aisa,  Hiph.  Part,  of  the  denominative  verb 
"narn,  constructed  from  "ow,  grain.  Hence  the  Hiph. 
verb,  to  procure  grain.  The  verb,  in  other  conjugations  and 
cases,  has  a  very  different  sense. 


PART  II— CHAP.  XI.  27—31.  251 

(27)  He  who  earnestly  seeks  after  good,  will  seek  for  [God's]  good 
pleasure;  but  as  to  him  who  seeketh  for  evil,  it  shall  come  upon  him. 

The  highest  good  is  the  good  will  of  the  Lord ;  so  that  a 
seeker  for  it  will  make  it  his  object  to  obtain  this.  —  The 
two  first  words  of  the  second  clause  are  in  the  Norn,  inde 
pendent,  and  are  so  translated. 

(28)  He  who  trustc-th  in  his  riches,  he  shall  fall;  but  as  a  leaf  shall 
the  righteous  blossom,     (29)  He  who  troubleth  his  own  house  shall 
inherit  the  wind ;  and  a  servant  shall  the  fool  be  to  him  who  is  of  a 
wise  mind. 

For  v.  28,  see  Is.  66:  14.  Ps,  92  :  13.  — V.  29,  He  that 
troublcth,  etc.,  seems  to  refer  to  mismanagement,  or  the  want 
of  proper  industry  and  economy.  Such  a  man  will  acquire 
nothing  valuable,  but  live  as  it  were  upon  the  wind.  Nor  is 
this  all ;  such  a  negligent  and  slothful  manager  shall  be 
reduced,  even  to  becoming  a  servant  to  him  who  is  wise 
enough  to  be  active  and  economical. 

(30)  The  fruit  of  the  righteous  is  a  tree  of  life;  and  hewhowinneth 
souls  is  wise. 

T)ie  fruit  of  the  righteous  man,  is  the  results  which  he 
produces  by  his  words  and  actions.  These,  like  a  tree  of 
life,  impart  to  others  a  living  and  animating  principle.  — 
Winneth  souls,  lit.  taketh  souls,  but  the  real  meaning  here  is 
given  in  the  version.  It  is  only  a  wise  man  who  can  do 
this  ;  and  to  do  it  is  true  wisdom,  and  one  of  its  noblest 
works. 

• 

(31)  If  the  righteous  -halt  be  recompensed  in  the  earth;  surely 
;hen  the  wicked  and  the  sinner. 

The  question  is  not,  whether  all  the  reward  of  the  right 
eous,  or  of  the  wicked,  shall  be  dispensed  in  the  present  world ; 
but  the  text  says,  first,  that  here  the  righteous  shall  receive 
blessings ;  and  then,  secondly,  that  the  wicked  shall  surely 
have  some  retribution,  viz.  by  sudden  and  premature  death, 


252  PART  II— CHAP.  XI.  31. 

and  by  the  various  evils  which  they  must  here  suffer.  If 
God's  mercy  bestows  the  one,  his  justice  will  inflict  the  other. 
—  Bertheau  makes  ^3  fix  to  mean  but  not.  How,  I  am 
unable  to  see,  (consult  the  Lex.),  unless  by  making  the  last 
clause  a  negative  interrogatory,  so  that  ^3  C]X  must  be 
regarded  as  =  Is  it  truly  so  that  ?  which  would  imply  a 
negative;  see  in  Gen.  3:1.  Of  course,  if  we  adopt  this, 
we  must  render  ',fi ,  at  the  beginning  of  the  verse  by  if;  as 
it  sometimes  clearly  means.  Indeed,  with  views  differing 
from  his,  I  have  so  translated  it  in  my  version.  But  if 
Bertheau  is  in  the  right,  (and  he  may  be  salva  Jide),  then  the 
latter  clause  must  be  rendered  thus :  Is  it  so  indeed,  that  the 
wicked  and  the  sinner  [will  be  recompensed?^  If  this  be 
the  sentiment,  it  looks  like  denying  that  adequate  recom 
pense  will  be  made  in  the  present  world  to  the  wicked.  This 
certainly  is  true  in  one  sense  ;  for  impenitent  sinners  do  not 
here  suffer  all  which  they  deserve.  But  is  this  truth  revealed 
in  such  a  shape,  in  the  Old  Testament  ?  All  along  we  have 
had,  continually  occurring,  the  threats  of  evil  to  the  wicked, 
such  as  being  prematurely  cut  down,  having  their  hopes 
frustrated,  etc.  And  can  we  safely  build  a  different  mode 
of  speaking — one  so  widely  different  —  on  a  doubtful  gram 
matical  construction  ?  I  have  not  ventured  on  this,  in  my 
version.  And  if  Bertheau  be  in  the  right,  then  I  apprehend 
*n  should  be  taken  interrogatively,  as  ex  often  is.  We  must  then 
render  thus  :  Will  the  righteous  be  recompensed  in  the  earth  ? 
Is  it  indeed  so,  then,  that  the  wicked  [will  be  recompensed  f] 
But  if  these  are  real  question*,  we  should  expect  some 
answer.  And  yet  there  is  none.  We  must  then  regard  the 
first  clause  as  an  assumption,  viz.  If  the  righteous  shall  be 
rewarded  in  the  earth,  (as  all  concede),  then,  etc.  In  this 
case,  the  sentiment  runs  thus :  « Since  the  righteous  receive 
a  recompense  in  such  a  world  of  suffering  and  sorrow  as 
this,  then  doubtless  the  wicked  will  also  receive  a  retribution/ 
In  other  words  :  *  The  providential  government  of  God  is  one 


PART  II— CHAP.  XL  31.  253 

of  moral  retribution  ;  for  both  the  righteous  and  the  wicked 
have  their  appropriate  recompense  under  it,  even  in  the 
present  world.'  There  is  no  necessity  of  straining  these 
words,  so  as  to  make  them  mean,  that  all  the  reward  of 
either  class  is  here  given  and  received.  When  the  apostle 
says,  that  "  Godliness  is  profitable  unto  all  things,  having 
promise  of  the  life  that  now  is,"  (1  Tim.  4 :  8),  this  does  not 
hinder  him  from  adding :  "  and  of  that  which  is  to  come.'* 
But  an  addition  like  this  is  rare  in  the  Old  Testament ; 
indeed,  it  cannot  be  found  in  such  a  shape.  I  draw,  there 
fore,  from  our  text  this  simple  sentiment :  '  The  retributive 
government  of  God  is  exercised  over  both  the  righteous  and 
the  wicked,  in  the  present  world,  assigning  to  each  their 
appropriate  reward.'  If  the  writer  reasoned  analogically  in 
his  own  mind,  he  was  doubtless  ready  to  say :  *  The  like 
retributive  government  must  extend  to  the  other  world,  as  well 
as  to  this.'  But  that  other  world  is  not  explicitly  brought  to 
view,  in  the  book  of  Proverbs. 

I  cannot  see  how  a  negative  form  can  well  be  given  to 
this  last  clause.  Not  that  grammar  stands  absolutely  in  the 
way,  but  because  the  whole  book  everywhere  discloses  the 
punishment  or  chastisement  of  sinners  in  the  present  life. 
This  lies  on  the  very  face  of  it.  This  does  not,  as  has 
already  been  said,  deny  chastisement  in  a  future  world ;  for 
of  this  the  writer  does  not  here  treat.  How  then  can  we 
fairly  make  out  of  the  last  clause  a  denial  of  retribution  in 
the  present  world,  which  is  not  only  everywhere  threatened, 
but  is  also  everywhere  in  the  Old  Testament  historically 
exhibited  as  matter  of  fact  ?  I  must  therefore  abide  by 
the  sentiment  of  the  version.  It  will  not  be  in  point  for 
Bertheau  to  refer  to  such  texts  as  Ecc.  9  :  1, 2,  11,  12.  8  :  14, 
and  the  like  ;  for  these  are  merely  sentiments  of  an  objector. 
Such  an  attitude  the  author  of  the  book  and  chapter  before 
us  does  not  assume. 

22 


254  PART  II— CHAP.  XII.  1—4. 


CHAP.  XII.  1—28. 

(1)  He  who   lovcth   instruction,  loveth  knowledge;    and  he  who 
hateth  admonition  is  brutish. 

Instruction  and  admonition  are  nearly  equivalent  here. 
The  first,  however,  is  more  general ;  the  second  somewhat 
specific.  —  "i  2  a  might  be  rendered,  in  our  vulgar  tongue,  is 
a  boor  ;  for  this  English  word  looks  very  much  like  a  deri- 
vate  from  the  Hebrew  root. 

(2)  The  good  man  shall  obtain  goodwill  from  Jehovah;  but  the 
man  of  evil  devices  will  he  punish. 

Rare  is  the  use  of  aia ,  as  here,  for  moral  good.  The 
usual  words  are  pi'is ,  or  Ton ,  or  DTBPI  ,  to  designate  what 
we  usually  name  a  good  man  in  the  moral  sense.  —  rrtsta , 
in  the  bad  sense  here,  which  is  the  more  common  one.  — 
Siurp ,  lit.  shall  make  guilty,  i.  e.  shall  treat  as  guilty,  which 
of  course  means  shall  punish.  But  who  does  this  ?  Jeho 
vah,  as  the  preceding  clause  shows. 

(3)  A  man  shall  not  be  established  by  wickedness  ;  but  the  root  of 
the  righteous  shall  never  be  moved. 

Wickedness  cannot  secure  enduring  prosperity ;  but  the 
root  of  the  righteous,  (who  is  here  tacitly  compared  to  a  tree), 
cannot  move  hither  and  thither.  In  this  last  case,  viz.  sup 
posing  the  root  to  be  moving  hither  and  thither,  the  standing 
of  the  tree  would  then  be  unstable. 

(4)  A  virtuous  woman  is  the  diadem  of  her  husband ;  but  like  rot 
tenness  in  the  bones,  is  she  who  causeth  shame. 

^n ,  like  the  Latin  virtus,  has  two  meanings,  viz.,  that  of 
strength  or  fortitude,  and  also  that  of  probity  ;  see  Heb.  Lex. 
JNo.  4.  —  Rottenness  in  the  bones,  would  cause  the  whole  fab 
ric  of  the  body  to  crumble  and  fall.  —  FUBISE ,  causing  shame, 
viz.  by  her  base  conduct. 


PART  II— CHAP.  XII.  5—8.  255 

(5)  The  purposes  of  the  righteous  are  justice;  but  the  counsellings 
of  the  wicked  are  deceit. 

Purposes  are  justice,  i.  e.  not  his  outward  actions  and 
words  merely,  but  even  his  internal  thoughts  and  intentions. 
m'bsnn  ==  xvfizQvrjGZi?,  controllings,  directions,  equivalent  to 
counsel  in  respect  to  conduct.  These  are  connected  with 
fraud.  The  Hebrew  is  stronger  ( —  are  justice  —  are  deceit) 
than  the  corresponding  adjectives. 

(6)  The  words  of  the  wicked  are  a  lying  in  wait  for  blood  ;  but  the 
mouth  of  the  upright  will  deliver  them. 

The  wicked  concert  plans  for  lying  in  wait  to  shed  the 
blood  of  the  innocent ;  for  that  such  persons  are  implied, 
seems  to  result  from  db^sr ,  where  the  plur.  suff.  to  the  verb 
refers  to  the  upright  who  are  in  danger,  who  must  be  the 
same  persons  that  the  wicked  wish  to  destroy.  —  "3^2$ ,  with 
short  o,  because  of  the  Maqqeph.  It  is  the  Inf.  nominascens 
of  Kal. 

(7)  When  the  wicked  are  overturned,  they  are  no  more;  but  the 
house  of  the  righteous  shall  stand. 

Tl'iBft ,  Inf.  abs.,  which  is  of  all  numbers,  genders,  and  per 
sons,  and  so  may  be  translated  as  above.  Or  we  may  render 
thus  :  Is  there  an  overturning  of  the  wicked,  or  are  the  wicked 
overturned,  then  are  they  no  more,  i.  e.  final  destruction  shall 
succeed  their  overthrow.  The  lot  of  the  righteous  is  the 
reverse  of  this.  They  are  not  overthrown,  but  remain 
steadfast. 

(8)  According  to  his  discretion  shall  a  man  be  praised;  but  he  who 
is  perverse  of  heart,  shall  be  despised. 

^sb  is  used  as  a  particle  =  pro  ratione  secundum,  root  ns . 
—  fT.Si  in  reg.  becomes  MWJ  as  in  the  text,  and  is  a  Niph. 
Part,  adjective,  r.  rns> .  mb ,  lit.  for  contempt,  i.  e.  shall  be 
exposed  to  it. 


256  PART  II-CHAP.  XII.  9—12. 

(9)  Better  is  he  who  is  despised,  yet  has  a  servant,  than  he  who 
honoreth  himself  and  lacketh  bread. 

Better,  not  in  a  moral  sense,  but  as  we  say,  more  lucky,  or 
better  off".  —  To  make  ib  "1:52  mean  serve  himself  (with  Um- 
breit),  can  be  done  only  by  shifting  the  vowels  and  pointing 
thus  :  i'b  ^as  .  But  this  adds  nothing  to  show  the  betterment, 
which  consists  in  the  fact,  that  the  despised  person  has  one 
to  aid  his  labors  in  the  field,  and  thus  procure  sufficiency  of 
bread,  while  he  who  boasts  of  honors  lacks  even  the 
necessaries  of  life.  Sentiment  :  *  Better  is  the  condition  of 
a  poor  man,  who  has  the  means  under  his  control  of  aiding 
his  exertions  for  sustenance,  than  the  nobleman,  real  or  fan 
cied,  who  is  in  a  state  of  starvation.' 

(10)  The  righteous  careth  for  the  life  of  his  beast;  but  the  tender 
mercies  of  the  wicked  are  cruelty. 


srni,  taketh  knowledge  of  ,  careth  for  ;  and  so,  frequently. 
—  irrana  ,  suff.  state  of  rrana  .  —  •nta&t  ,  prop,  adj.,  but  here 
used  as  a  noun  —  cruelty.  i  While  the  righteous  care  even 
for  the  enjoyment  of  the  brutes,  the  wicked  disregard  both 
man  and  beast.' 

(11)  He  who  tilleth  his  land  shall  have  plenty  of  bread  ;  but  he 
who  followeth  after  vain  persons,  lacketh  understanding. 

Sato1?  ,  lit.  shall  be  satiated  with,  dnb  after  it  being  the  Ace. 
of  the  means  ;  Qamets  in  pause.  The  sense  is  given  in  the 
version.  —  Sip'n  ,  comp.  Judg.  9  :  2.  2  Kings  4  :  3,  for  the 
meaning  here  given  to  the  word.  —  It  might  mean  vanities  ; 
but  this  would  not  alter  the  general  sense  of  the  clause. 
Vain  persons  here  means  idle  and  profligate  men,  who  will 
not  labor  in  order  to  till  their  land. 

(12)  The  wicked  desireth  an  evil  net  ;  but  the  root  of  the  righteous 
shall  be  firm. 

Ewald  has  changed  the  text  until  it  yields  this  meaning  : 
The  desire  of  the  wicked  is  an  evil  net  ;  but  the  root  of  the 


PART  II— CHAP.  XII.  13.  257 

righteous  endures,  i.  e.  the  wicked  wish  to  ensnare  the  good, 
but  they  are  frustrated.  Others  have  varied  the  meaning 
in  several  ways.  All  this  is  unnecessary.  The  wicked  de 
sires  an  evil  net,  i.  e.  destruction,  in  the  same  sense  as  when 
Wisdom  says :  "  All  who  hate  me,  love  death"  8:36;  and 
also  like  to  11:  27,  "  He  who  seeketh  after  evil,  it  shall  come 
upon  him."  Where  a  false  course  is  preferred  to  a  true  one, 
the  Hebrews  spoke  of  the  man  who  exhibits  such  a  prefer 
ence,  as  loving,  seeking  after  the  false  course,  regardless  of 
consequences  ;  and  so  here.  —  As  to  the  root  of  the  righteous, 
see  under  v.  3.  —  ",n?  is  an  uncertain  word.  It  comes  appa 
rently  from  IPS ,  which  often  means  put,  place,  constitute,  with 
an  object  after  it.  That  object  may  be  tinfcj  here,  provided 
we  make  the  word  God  a  Nom.  to  in? .  Still,  putting  or 
placing  does  not  give  a  sense  altogether  appropriate  here. 
But  there  is  another  verbal  root,  IITJ ,  from  which  IP^X , 
strong,  firm,  comes ;  and  this  seems  to  me  to  be  the  probable 
root  of  in?  here.  If  so,  it  is  to  be  placed  with  the  third 
class  of  verbs  ">£ ,  whose  Yodh  radical  in  the  Imperf.  assim 
ilates  with  the  letter  that  follows,  as  in  the  case  of  verbs  IB ; 
see  §  70.  Then  we  have  a  good  sense.  The  verb  so  under 
stood  is  intrans.,  and  snai  is  the  Nom.  to  it.  Thus  we  obtain 
the  following  version  :  The  root  of  the  righteous  shall  be  firm. 
It  is  no  more  strange,  to  say  the  least,  that  Tseri  should  be 
the  last  vowel  here,  than  that  it  should  be  in  the  case  of  in? 
from  IPS  .  Irregular  verbs  sometimes  form  the  Imperf.  in  this 
way,  §  47. 3.  n.  2.  This,  moreover,  makes  the  sense  quite  plain 
and  easy.  —  Sentiment :  '  The  wicked  desire  that  which  will 
destroy  them ;  but  the  righteous  that  which  will  give  them 
firmness  and  safety.' 

(13)  In  the  transgression  of  the  lips  is  a  snare  of  the  evil  man; 
but  the  righteous  shall  escape  from  distress. 

The  evil  which  a  man  utters,  often  ensnares  him,  and 
causes  him  distress ;  but  the  righteous,  who  refrains  from 
sinning  thus,  escapes  the  distress  consequent  upon  sin. 
22* 


258  PAHT  11—  CHAI-    XII.  14—17. 

(14)  By  the  fruit  of  a  man's  mouth,  lie  shall  abound  in  good;  and 
the  reward  of  a  man's  hands  he  shall  return  to  him. 

Fruit  of  the  mouth  is  what  the  mouth  speaks.  The  sup 
position  is  here,  that  a  righteous  man  speaks  in  harmony 
with  his  character.  This  shall  bring  him  abundant  good.  — 
Also  what  he  does,  as  well  as  says,  will  not  be  useless.  The 
reward  of  his  hands,  i.  e.  the  reward  of  what  his  hands  have 
done,  he  [Jehovah]  will  return  to  him.  If  bira  were  Nom. 
to  the  verb,  as  some  make  it,  we  should  expect  51^  ,  as  the 
Kethibh  has  it.  But  adopting  n^  in  Hiph.  (the  better 
reading),  we  must  then  make  Jehovah  the  Nominative.  Of 
ten  elsewhere  is  this  word  implied.  This  gives  a  good  sense. 

(15)  The  way  of  a  fool  is  right  in  his  own  eyes;    but  he  who 
hearkeneth  to  counsel  is  wise. 

The  fool,  being  self-conceited,  feels  that  he  needs  no 
counsel  ;  but  a  man  truly  wise  will  cautiously  seek  for 
counsel,  when  perplexities  arise. 

(16)  The  fool  —  his  vexation  is  made  known  at  once;  but  he  who 
concealeth  what  is  shameful  is  war. 


d'fas,  lit.  on  the  day,  i.  e.  at  the  very  time  when  his  vexa 
tion  arises,  he  immediately  and  imprudently  discloses  it. 
More  wary  or  sagacious  (B*ns)  is  he,  who  conceals  shameful 
things.  The  meaning  of  this  last  clause  is  :  '  Who  keeps 
back  from  bruiting  abroad  every  shameful  slander  ;  '  or  per 
haps  (here),  '  who  refrains  from  immediately  manifesting 
his  indignation  at  contumelious  treatment,  or  at  shameful 
conduct  towards  himself.'  A  fool  talks  loudly  about  such 
matters,  and  takes  ready  and  high  offence  ;  the  wise  man 
more  prudently  passes  them  by  in  silence. 

(17)  He  who  breatheth  forth  truth,  uttereth  that  which  is  right; 
but  a  false  witness  —  deceit. 


^B^  ,  Hiph.  of  n«s    breathes  out  or  forth,  seems  to  indi- 


PART  11—  CHAP.  XII.  18—20.  259 

cate  the  natural  habit  (so  to  speak)  of  truth-telling,  i.  e.  he 
utters  it  as  habitually  and  readily  as  he  breathes.  The  case 
here  in  view,  seems  to  be  that  of  giving  testimony  ;  for  so 
the  "is  (witness)  of  the  next  clause  indicates.  —  Deceit,  i.  e. 
uttereth  deceit,  for  the  verb  T1*^  is  to  be  carried  forward  men 
tally,  from  the  first  clause,  and  supplied  here.  I  have  imi 
tated  the  brevity  of  the  original,  in  the  version,  which,  by  a 
discriminative  punctuation,  still  makes  the  idea  of  the  writer 
plain.  Sentiment:  'A  lover  of  truth  will  testify  truly, 
while  a  lying  witness  speaks  only  to  deceive.' 

(18)  There  are  who  prate,  like  the  stabbings  of  a  sword;  but  the 
tongue  of  the  Avise  is  healing. 


is  sing.  ;  but  since  it  is  generic  here,  I  have  assigned 
to  it  a  plur.  number  in  the  version,  because  this  agrees  bet 
ter  with  our  idiom  in  such  a  case.  Deep  and  deadly  wounds 
does  a  rtaia  make,  like  those  of  a  sword.  But  the  wise 
speak  in  order  to  soothe  or  allay  wounded  feelings,  not  to 
aggravate  them.  —  KS1^  is  a  noun  here,  a  formative  of 
Hiphil,  which  gives  it  the  additional  shade  of  being  causal 
of  healing. 

(19)  The  lip  of  truth  shall  stand  fast  forever;  but  the  tongue  of 
falsehood,  only  for  the  twinkling  of  an  eye. 

The  lip  of  truth  shall  be  rewarded  by  steadfastness  of  safe 
condition.  —  Lit.  nspa'nx-i?  ,  until  I  shall  make  a  wink  ;  for 
the  verb  is  a  Hiph.  denominative,  derived  from  wn  ,  a  wink  ; 
and  so  the  Hiph.  verb  means  to  make  a  wink.  But  in  our 
text,  the  word  is  employed  as  a  Hiphilic  noun  with  a  Prep. 
before  it.  —  Sentiment  :  '  A  lying  tongue  shall  suddenly  be 
destroyed  —  the  very  reverse  of  the  safe  condition  of  those 
who  speak  truth.' 

(20)  Deceit  is  in  the  heart  of  those  who  devise  evil  ;  but  to  the 
counsellors  of  peace  —  joy. 

The  meaning  of  the  first  clause  must  be  developed  by  the 


260  PART  II—  CHAP.  XII.  21—24. 

aid  of  the  second.  Deceit,  then,  is  the  object  to  be  accom 
plished  by  devisers  of  evil,  when  they  give  counsel.  —  But 
peace-counsellors  instead  of  contriving  deceit  so  as  to  injure 
others,  have  in  their  hearts  the  purpose  of  making  their 
neighbors  glad.  It  may,  however,  be  rendered  subjectively 
thus  :  peace-counsellors  shall  have  joy.  But  joy  seems  to  be 
the  counter-part  here  of  deceit  ;  and  of  this  evil-devisers  are 
not  the  recipients,  but  the  authors.  So  of  peace-counsellors, 
their  object  is  to  become  authors  of  the  satisfaction  or  joy  of 
others. 

(21)  No  calamity  shall  befall  the  righteous  ;  but  the  wicked  shall  be 
filled  with  evil. 


x*]  ,  lit.  shall  be  caused  to  happen,  in  Hoph.  The  version 
gives  the  true  sense.  —  sn  ,  Ace.,  governed  by  a  verb  of 
filing,  §  135.  3.  b.  —  sifi&a  is  made  a  virtual  Imperf.  by  the 
Vav  prefixed  to  the  clause  with  which  it  is  connected.  If 
the  verb  stood  first,  the  case  would  be  plain  ;  but  since  the 
Nom.  here  precedes,  only  for  the  sake  of  emphasis,  the  Vav 
before  it  exercises  its  usual  power  over  the  verb.  This  is 
demanded  by  the  connection  with  nsx^  in  the  Imperfect. 


(22)  An  abomination  of  Jehovah  are  lying  lips;  but  those  who 
practice  truth  are  his  delight.  (23)  A  wary  man  concealeth  knowl 
edge  ;  but  the  heart  of  fools  proclaims  folly. 

V.  22,  the  doers  of  truth  means  those  who  adhere  to  it  in 
word  and  work  ;  comp.  the  Greek  noiew  ii]v  dtf&etav,  John 
3  :  21.  V.  23,  concealeth  knowledge,  means  that  he  modestly 
forbears  to  obtrude  his  knowledge  upon  others,  or  is  some 
what  shy  of  displaying  it.  —  On  the  other  hand,  the  fool  has 
so  much  self-conceit  that  he  cannot  forbear  displaying  his 
folly.  Display  he  will  make,  at  all  events  ;  and  if  so,  it 
must  of  course  be  one  of  folly. 

(24)  The  hand  of  the  diligent  shall  bear  rule;  but  a  slothful  [hand] 
shall  be  tributary. 


PART  II— CHAP.  XII.  25,  26.  261 

The  diligent,  by  his  activity,  attains  to  power  and  influ 
ence,  fi^  fern.  adj.  or  Part.,  means  lit.  deceitful,  but  as  it 
stands  opposed  here  to  the  hand  of  the  diligent,  it  here 
virtually  means  slothful ;  for  such  a  hand  deceives  the  hopes 
of  those  who  depend  upon  its  earnings.  —  GTsb ,  lit.  for 
tribute,  i.  e.  it  is  obliged  to  become  a  tributary  or  a  servant 
to  the  diligent.  Sentiment:  'Idleness  brings  poverty  and 
dependence.' 

(25)  Sorrow  in  the  heart  of  a  man  will  bow  it  down;  but  a  goodly 
word  will  gladden  it. 

n|rra?,  Hiph.  Imperf.  of  firra,  exhibits  two  apparent 
anomalies ;  first,  the  verb  is  masc.,  while  the  Nom.  nsx'n  is 
fern. ;  secondly,  the  suff.  fi|-  is  fern.,  while  it  relates  to  -nb . 
As  to  the  first,  real  analogies  are  quite  rare.  If  the  verb 
preceded,  the  case  could  be  solved  on  the  ground  of  a  kind 
of  impersonal  use  of  the  verb  ;  but  here  the  noun  precedes, 
and  the  case  is  therefore  one  which  is  wholly  abnormal. 
Still  the  sense  is  plain,  and  unavoidable.  As  to  the  two 
fern,  suffixes  appended  to  the  two  verbs,  there  is  little  of 
serious  difficulty.  Nearly  all  the  names  of  parts  of  the 
human  body  are,  or  may  be,  treated  as  nouns  feminine.  So 
with  ^b ,  which  is  plainly  treated  as  fern,  here ;  see  a  large 
list  of  these  in  Ewald,  §  174.  d. —  Goodly  word  means  either 
good  tidings,  i.  e.  an  announcement  that  things  are  going  on 
well,  or  a  word  of  comfort  and  encouragement. 

(26)  The  righteous  showeth  the  way  to  his  friend  ;  but  the  way  of 
the  wicked  will  mislead  them. 

*irn ,  Hiph.  Imperf.  of  -ilfi ,  or  its  equivalent  "Ynfi ,  lit.  to 
lead  one  round,  i.  e.  so  as  to  take  a  survey.  —  Jift§'TQ  >  a  pe 
culiar  formation  =  $*\ ,  friend.  It  seems  to  be  made  up  of 
"ft, from  or  of,  and  sn;  which  is  of  unfrequent  occurrence. 
If  the  word  were  a  participial  of  nan ,  it  must  be  written 
nyyq .  Still,  the  meaning  is  plain.  —  wnti ,  Imperf.  Hiph. 
of  nsn ,  with  plur.  suffix. 


262  PART  TT—  CHAP.  XIII.  1. 

(27)  The  indolent  man  shall  not  roast  his  game  ;  but  a  precious 
treasure  of  any  man  is  a  diligent  person. 


fi*r"i  ,  here  indolence  ;  but  as  it  means  the  indolent  man, 
the  verb  is  masc.,  i.  e.  it  is  a  case  of  concord  ad  sensum. 
The  most  probable  meaning  seems  to  be,  that  indolence  will 
prevent  the  slothful  from  catching  the  game,  and  so  he  will 
have  none  to  roast.  But  perhaps  the  sentiment  is  still  more 
pointed,  viz.,  he  is  too  lazy  to  cook  his  game  when  caught. 
The  text  will  bear  either  explanation.  —  The  "pin  ,  on  the 
other  hand,  will  be  sure  to  obtain  game  for  his  employer, 
and  so  is  a  treasure  to  him. 

(28)  In  the  way  of  righteousness  is  life;  and  [in]  her  path-way  is 
no  death. 

The  Masorites  have  removed  the  Mappiq  from  the  fn  in 
PJSHM  ;  wrongly,  as  it  necessarily  refers  to  ft^s  .  —  niE-bx 
I  take  to  be  a  compound  word,  in  which  the  ^N  is  a  nega 
tive  like  our  un  in  un-do,  etc.  Comp.  Prov.  30  :  31,  where 
we  find  nipbx  ,  i.  e.  ?s  not,  and  Wp  people,  meaning,  in  a 
kind  of  tropical  way,  obedient  subjects,  literally,  such  as  do 
not  rise  up,  i.  e.  in  rebellion,  =  non-resistants.  —  Death  by 
itself  is  the  opposite  of  life  ;  but  as  no  opposition  is  here 
admissible,  a  negative  is  put  in,  which  gives  the  meaning 
no-death,  and  this  is  equivalent  to  d^n  .  Generally  aft  is 
employed  in  such  cases  ;  e.  g.  ]rs~x^,  no-wood,  i.  e.  something 
different  from,  and  opposite  to,  wood.  So  ^X'Jtb,  tt^X"xb, 
tnx-x'b  ,  etc.  All  such  combinations  approach  to  our  nega 
tive  use  of  un. 

CHAP.  XIII.  1—25. 

(1)  A  wise  son  is  instructed  of  his  father;  but  a  scorner  hearken- 
eth  not  to  rebuke. 


,  as  pointed,  is  a  noun  in  the  const,  state,  so  that  lit 
it  means  instruction*  i.  e.  we  have  the  abstract  for  concrete  ; 


PART  II— CHAP.  XIII.  2—5.  263 

and  as  concrete,  it  is  rendered  in  the  version  above.  I  pre 
fer,  with  Ewald,  to  assign  it  to  the  Part,  in  Hophal,  for  then 
we  have  he  who  is  instructed.  Sentiment :  '  In  order  to  be 
wise,  a  father's  admonitions  must  be  received ;  but  scorners 
will  not  submit  to  this.' 

(2)  Of  the  fruit  of  a  man's  mouth  he  shall  eat  good;  but  the  soul 
of  the  treacherous — violence. 

That  is,  in  case  a  man  speaks  what  is  right  and  proper,  he 
shall  eat  the  good  fruit  of  so  doing ;  while  the  soul  of  him 
who  speaks  treacherously  [shall  eat]  violence  ;  i.  e.  such  an 
one  will  be  violently  dealt  with  or  treated,  by  those  whom  he 
has  betrayed. 

(3)  He  who  guardeth  well  his  mouth,  preserved!  his  life;  he  who 
openeth  wide  his  lips  —  destruction  to  him. 

Not  unfrequently,  anger  and  slanderous  words  provoke  to 
murderous  deeds.  To  guard  well  against  these,  is  therefore 
to  preserve  life.  —  Openeth  wide,  speaks,  loudly  and  much, 
such  things  as  provoke  assault.  —  Destruction  to  him  ;  may 
be  taken  as  an  exclamation  optative ;  or  simply  thus : 
destruction  will  be  to  him.  The  latter  is  more  probable. 
Wishes  of  evil  do  not  appear  in  this  book. 

(4)  His  soul  —  the  sluggard's  —  strongly  craves,  and  there  is  noth 
ing  ;  but  the  soul  of  the  diligent  shall  be  abundantly  fed. 

The  pronoun  in  ^23  is  anticipative,  and  refers  to  bis, 
more  Syrorum,  §  119.  6.  n.  3. —  There  is  nothing,  because 
the  sluggard  will  do  nothing  to  provide.  —  "p-f  7*? »  lik  ^all  be 
made  fat.  The  real  sense  is  given  in  the  version.  In  the 
one  case,  there  is  starvation  ;  in  the  other,  plenty. 

(5)  A  false  report  the  righteous  will  hate:  but  the  wicked  causeth 
shame  and  putteth  to  the  blush. 

The  wicked  man,  instead  of  loathing  slander,  will  so  speak 
as  to  cause  others  to  be  ashamed  and  to  blush  for  him.  Pos- 


264  PART  II— CHAP.  XIII.  6—8. 

sibly  the  last  clause  may  mean:  acteth  shamefully  and 
scandalously ;  in  which  case  we  must  give  to  Hiphil  a  Kal 
meaning. 

(6)  Righteousness  will  preserve    the  innocent   in  his  way;   but 
wickedness  casts  headlong  the  sinful. 

dpi ,  torn,  short  o,  because  it  is  in  regimen  ;  ground-form 
tin .  —  nxan  (for  nxan),  lit.  sin ;  but  it  is  a  plain  case  of 
abstract  for  concrete ;  and  so  it  means  sinners. 

(7)  There  is  who  showeth  himself  as  rich,  and  yet  hath  nothing  at 
all ;  there  is  who  showeth  himself  as  poor,  and  yet  there  is  much 
wealth. 

In  both  cases  the  Hithp.  Part,  retain  that  peculiar  mean 
ing  of  the  conjugation  which  designates  pretence,  show,  §  53. 
3.  a.  Both  classes  of  such  men  are  hypocrites  and  deceiv 
ers  ;  the  one  for  pretending  to  possess  what  he  does  not 
possess,  the  other  for  pretending  to  be  worth  nothing,  (in 
order  to  cheat  his  creditors),  when  in  fact  he  is  rich.  Sen 
timent  :  i  Men  will  often  play  the  hypocrite  for  the  sake  of 
gain.' 

(8)  The  ransom  of  a  man's  life  is  his  riches ;  and  yet  the  poor 
heareth  not  rebuke. 

4  Riches  will  frequently  buy  off  a  man  from  punishment,' 
is  the  meaning  of  the  first  clause.  That  of  the  second  is 
somewhat  obscure.  To  me  it  appears  thus  :  '  Notwithstand 
ing  this  obvious  advantage  of  wealth,  yet  the  poor  man  will 
not  listen  to  those  who  rebuke  him  for  sloth  and  wasteful 
ness,  which  have  made  him  poor.'  The  supposition  on  this 
ground  is,  that  the  man  is  poor  by  his  own  fault.  Or  it  is 
thus :  '  The  rich  are  inculpated  by  oppressive  magistrates,  in 
order  to  exact  money  from  them  in  the  way  of  ransom ;  the 
poor  escape  such  accusations,  because  they  have  nothing  to 
give  as  a  ransom.'  This  is  a  possible  sense ;  but  hardly  the 
more  probable  one. 


PART  II— CHAP.  XIII.  9—13.  265 

(9)  The  light   of   the   righteous   is  joyful;  but  the   lamp   of   the 
wicked  shall  be  put  out. 

Is  joyful,  tropically  understood,  i.  e.  burns  brightly  and 
cheerfully,  as  if  rejoicing.  The  reverse  is  true  of  the  lamp 
of  the  wicked. 

(10)  Only  by  pride   is  strife   produced;  but  with  those  who  take 
counsel  is  wisdom. 

We  may  translate  the  first  clause  thus :  Only  by  pride  one 
produces  or  occasions  strife.  The  sense  is  the  same  as  that 
in  the  version.  —  Qi^"'i2 ,  Part.  Niph.  of  ys* ,  denoting  mutual 
or  reciprocal  action,  as  Niph.  often  does,  §  50.  2.  b.  Of  course, 
taking  counsel  denotes  mutual  communication.  Those  who  act 
thus  modestly,  and  do  not  proudly  follow  their  own  opinion, 
will  walk  in  the  path  of  wisdom,  and  produce  no  strife. 

(11)  Wealth  gotten  without  effort  will  grow  small;  but  he  who 
gathereth  into  the  hand  increaseth  [it]. 

bifi ,  vanity,  nothingness,  is  a  peculiar  word  for  slight  effort, 
or  no  effort.  Yet  the  other  clause  seems  to  make  this  neces 
sary.  The  meaning  is  :  '  Wealth  which  is  in  any  way  obtained 
without  industry  or  effort.'  Nothing  is  more  true,  than  that 
this  is  often  squandered  in  a  little  time.  But  that  which  is 
gathered  by  industry,  which  is  collected  by  handfuls,  is  com 
monly  of  that  stable  character,  which  secures  increase. 

(12)  Hope  deferred  maketh  the  heart  sick  ;  but  a  tree  of  life  is  the 
desire  which  is  accomplished. 

"  We  live  by  hope."  When  the  realization  of  it  is  long 
deferred,  the  heart  sinks  with  discouragement.  —  Tree  of  life 
is  a  vivid  image  of  the  animating  power  of  hope  when  it  is 
fulfilled.  —  nxa ,  spoken  of  desire,  of  prophecy,  or  of  a  sign 
of  something  future,  means  happeneth,  or  is  accomplished,  see 
Lex.  Kia .  2.  e. 

(13)  He  who  despiseth  the  word,  shall  bring  destruction  on  himself; 
but  he  who  feareth  the  commandment,  is  he  who  shall  be  at  peace. 

23 


266  PAKT  U—  CHAP.  XIII.  14—16. 


Word,  viz.,  of  warning  and  reproof.  —  "ife-b^IT;  ,  Niphal 
reflexive,  with  the  pronoun  of  object  expressed.  The  true 
sense  is  given  in  the  version.  —  oVir  ,  lit.  shall  be  made  to 
have  peace. 

(14)  The  instruction  of  the  wise  man  is  a.  fountain  of  life,  that  one 
may  turn  away  from  the  snares  of  death. 

rrrin  in  its  original  sense  here,  instruction  ;  as  is  quite 
usual  in  this  book.  It  not  only  gives  life,  but  it  operates  so 
as  to  turn  away  the  unwary  from  the  snares  of  death.  —  itob, 
is  here  equivalent  to  -iton  (third  fern.)  with  rni'tn  for  its  Nom. 
Frequently  is  the  Inf.  with  b  employed  in  such  away;  §  129. 
3.  n.  1.  Comp.  v.  25  below. 

(15)  Kindly  discretion  procureth  favor  ;  but  the  way  of  the  treach 
erous  is  stony. 

Sto  ,  kindness,  must  be  associated  with  discretion  or  intelli 
gence,  in  order  to  secure  favor.  —  Way  of  the  treacherous  is 
"r^x  ,  which  last  word  means,  first,  lasting  ,  then  firm  or  hard, 
and  finally  (in  poetry)  a  rock,  from  its  hardness  ;  see  Lex. 
No.  4.  A  stony  way,  is  one  which  it  is  hard  to  travel.  —  Hard, 
in  our  English  version,  is  equivocal.  A  way  literally  hard, 
would  be  easy  of  travel  ;  but  hard  in  the  sense  of  difficult, 
Laves  us  what  the  Ileb.  aims  at,  yet  not  exactly  what  it  ex 
presses.  The  Heb.  figuratively  presents  the  ground  of  the 
way  as  being  hard  or  difficult,  viz.,  because  it  is  stony. 
Treachery  will  of  course  render  a  man's  way  through  life 
very  difficult  ;  for  resentment  will  follow,  and  many  of  its 
consequences.  It  leads  into  a  stony  way,  and  makes  rough 
travelling. 

(16)  Every  wary  man  will  act  with  foresight;  but  the  fool  diffuseth 
abroad  folly. 

roy  means  here  that  kind  of  knowledge,  which  has  respect 
to  what  a  man  is  about  to  do,  and  therefore  =  foresight.  — 
Spreadeth  abroad  his  folly,  namely,  by  actim-  'rithout  foresight, 
All  men  s^e.  in  such  a  case,  what  folly  he 


PART  II— CHAP.  XIII.  17—20.  267 

(17)  A  wicked  messenger  fallcth  into  trouble;  but  a  faithful  ambas 
sador  is  healing. 

Wicked  here  means  one  who  acts  deceitfully  through  sloth ; 
comp.  10  :  2G,  which  expresses  the  idea  fully.  A  wicked  man, 
in  the  common  sense-  of  this  phrase,  may  be,  and  often  is,  a 
swift  messenger.  But  wicked  as  a  messenger,  is  what  the 
proverb  means ;  and  this  of  course  means  slothful,  inactive, 
and  therefore  disappointing  those  Avjio  send  him.  —  He  falls 
into  evil,  because  he  is  punished  by  those  who  sent  him,  for 
his  negligence.  —  On  the  other  hand,  a  faithful  messenger, 
("i"1^ ,  from  the  root  "H2  to  go  round),  is  ttSin ,  lit.  healing, 
and  here  soothing  or  alleviation,  i.  e.  relief  from  anxiety  to 
hear  something,  respecting  the  matter  of  the  embassy  or 
mission;  comp.  this  last  word  in  12  :  18. 

(18)  Poor  and  despised  is  he  who  rejecteth  instruction;  but  he  who 
watchfully  observeth  admonition  shall  be  honored. 

"i^l  la*1"!  ,  lit.  poverty  and  contempt,  both  abstracts,  which, 
in  the  version,  I  have  turned  into  concretes,  because  such  is 
the  real  meaning  of  the  words.  —  "vaia,  is  here  used  in  the 
frequent  sense  of  watchfully  observing  or  attending  to. 

(19)  Desire  accomplished,  is  sweet  to  the  soul;  but  it  is  an  abom 
i  nation  of  fools  to  turn  from  evil. 

The  contrast  here  implies,  that  the  first  clause  has  respect 
to  the  desire  of  the  wise.  This,  it  is  taken  for  granted,  is  for 
good ;  and  when  that  good  is  attained,  then  is  it  grateful  to 
the  spirit  of  a  good  man.  —  On  the  other  hand,  fools  cling 
with  such  tenacity  to  evil,  that  they  will  not  quit  it  so  as  to 
cherish  such  desires. 

(20)  He  who  walketh  with   the  wise   shall   be  wise;  but  he  who 
delighteth  in  fools,  showeth  himself  as  evil. 

The  Kethibh  of  two  verbs  should  be  thus  pointed :  tpbtt 
.  .  .  csni ,  i.  e.  first  the  Inf.  abs.  as  a  command,  and  then  the 


2C8  PART  II—  CHAP.  XIII.  21—23. 

Imper.  as  declaring  the  sequel  ;  a  common  construction,  and 
equally  good  as  the  Qeri,  §  128.  4.  b.  c.  §  127.  2.  —  In  the 
Qeri,  cam  of  the  Kethibh  is  of  course  read  csrn  .  —  run 
has  here  the  secondary  sense  of  the  word,  in  which  it  = 
•t^,  and  is  merely  a  softened  form  of  it.  Such  a  sense  of 
the  word  is  frequent  in  this  book;  see  15:  14.  28:  7.  29  • 
3,  and  comp.  Lex.  —  si-n  ,  Imperf.  Niph.  of  y*n  ,  and  reflex 
ive  like  Hithp.,  §  50.  2.  c.., 

(21)  Evil  will  pursue  sinners  ;  but  the  righteous  will  he  reward  with 
good. 

The  Nom.  to  dlbia^  ,  (  because  of  Maqqeph),  is  Jehovah  ; 
which  word  is  very  often  omitted  in  these  apothegms,  for 
the  sake  of  brevity  ;  but  only  in  cases  where  it  is  readily 
supplied.  The  Piel  verb  here  governs,  as  usual,  two  Accu 
satives,  §  136.  1. 

(22)  The  good  man  makes  heirs  of  children's  children;  but  the 
wealth  of  the  sinner  is  laid  up  for  the  just. 


We  cannot  exactly  imitate  the  Heb.  b^njn  as  to  form, 
since  it  governs  the  Ace.  directly.  But  the  version  comes 
near  to  this.  —  Laid  up  for  the  just,  the  wealth  which  the 
sinner  lays  up,  is  speedily  dissipated,  or  by  his  premature 
death  it  soon  goes  to  others.  God  regards  it  as  treasured 
up  for  the  just,  and  often  appropriates  it  in  this  way. 

(23)  The  fallow-ground  of  the  poor  [yields]  an  abundance  of  food; 
and  there  are,  who  are  taken  away  by  reason  of  injustice. 

The  Hebrew  implies  is  where  I  have  inserted  yields,  be 
cause  this  word  is  more  accordant  with  our  idiom.  The 
second  clause,  by  its  contrast,  leads  us  to  understand  poor 
here,  as  meaning  the  righteous  poor;  for  unless  they  are 
righteous,  this  promise  does  not  enure  to  them.  —  asiaa  fctbs  , 
see  what  is  said  of  such  combinations  in  Heb.,  under  12  :  28. 
Maqqeph  should  be  inserted  here  between  the  words,  as  it 
is  there.  Lit.  by  not-justice,  i.  e.  by  injustice,  as  in  the  ver- 


PART  H—  CHAP.  XIV.  1.  269 

sion.  —  new  refers  to  the  violent  death  which  is  threatened 
and  frequently  ensues,  after  flagrant  acts  of  injustice.  Sen 
timent:  'The  righteous  poor  have  their  wants  supplied; 
the  unjust  perish  because  of  their  wickedness  or  oppression.' 

(24)  He  who  withholdeth  the  rod  hatcth  his  sou  ;  but  he  who  loveth 
him,  earnestly  seeketh  his  instruction. 

Hateth  his  son,  i.  e.  treats  him  as  real  hatred  might  well 
dictate.  So  it  is  said  :  "  Those  who  hate  me,  love  death  ;  " 
If  any  man  come  to  me,  and  hate  not  his  father,  etc."  A 
common  idiom,  in  Hebrew,  and  a  very  energic  one.  — 
iind  ,  Piel  with  suff.  ;  and  this  sun".  is  anticipative  of  iDto  , 
and  related  to  it.  This  mode  of  phraseology  is  designed  for 
intensity,  although  our  Grammars  call  it  pleonasm  ;  §  119. 
6.  n.  3.  But  it  may  be,  that  the  Ace.  i'-  is  for  the  Dat,  and 
means  for  him,  §  119.  4.  We  are  not  obliged  to  understand 
rod  here  in  the  mere  literal  sense;  but  it  means  at  least  cor 
rection  in  some  way  for  faults. 

(25)  The  righteous  eateth  to  the  satisfying  of  his  appetite  ;  but  the 
stomach  of  the  wicked  shall  be  empty. 

For  the  first  clause,  comp.  10  :  3.  —  "pa  ,  lit.  belly  ;  and  then, 
any  of  the  principal  viscera  contained  in  it,  e.  g.  the  stomach, 
the  womb,  etc.  —  "i&nn  (Qamets  in  pause),  lit.  shall  be  lacking. 


CHAP.  XIV.  1—35. 

(  1  )  A  woman's  wisdom  buildeth  up  her  house  ;  but  folly  teareth 
it  down  with  her  own  hands. 


an  ,  plur.  for  the  simple  abstract  noun,  which  therefore 
may  take  a  verb  singular,  (concord  ad  sensum)  ;  see  on 
1:  20.  —  Q^3  ,  plur.,  of  women,  i.  e.  such  wisdom  as  belongs 
to  women,  or  such  as  becomes  them.  The  version  is  a  shade 
more  specific.  —  Her  house,  if  referred  to  wisdom,  (as  the 
grammar  seems  to  require),  must  mean  the  house  where  she 
23* 


270  PART  II— CHAP.  XIV.  2,  3. 

dwells.  —  Teareth  it  down  with  her  own  hands,  viz.,  the  hands 
of  folly.     The  to-  refers  to  rv2 ,  which  is  usually  masc. 

(2)  He  who  walketh  in  his  integrity,  feareth  God;  but  he  who  is 
perverse  as  to  his  ways,  dcspiseth  him.  (3)  In  the  mouth  of  a  fool, 
haughtiness  is  a  rod  ;  but  as  to  the  lips  of  the  wi.se,  they  shall  preserve 
them. 

V.  2.  K'n';  const,  state.  —  The  same  is  true  of  fftji ,  Part. 
Niph.  —  sinria ,  Part,  of  fit  a  with  suff.  —  V.  3,  Haughtiness 
is  a  rod,  i.  e.  he  speaks  so  haughtily  as  to  bring  chastise 
ment  —  a  rod  —  upon  himself.  On  the  other  hand,  what  the 
wise  utter  will  conduce  to  their  safety.  —  tn wrn ,  Imperf. 
third  plur.  fern.,  with  1  in  order  to  prolong  the  sound  before 
a  pause,  (as  in  §  47.  3.  n.  1).  Still  there  is  an  anomaly 
here,  which  nearly  or  quite  all  of  the  critics  have  failed  to 
explain,  and  most  of  them  even  to  notice.  The  full  third 
fern.  plur.  Imperf.,  without  suffix,  would  be  fia'nfrirFi ,  the  suff. 
form,  srrairn,  see  §  59,  (here  nsrairn),  and  with  suff.  d*nsradn ; 
whereas  we  now  have,  instead  of  Wi—  which  is  the  normal 
ending,  the  syllable  d'n .  But  Tseri  is  the  union-vowel  of 
the  suff.  to  the  third  sing.  Imperf.,  and  *i  to  the  third  plur., 
whether  masc.  or  fern.  The  pointing  is  therefore  plainly 
anomalous.  Schelling  (Comm.  in  loc.)  says,  that  an  ancient 
error  scribarum  has  put  D^srorn  for  the  proper  wra'-an ,  by  a 
transposition  of  the  *i .  It  may  be  so  ;  but  this  does  not  ac 
count  for  the  C— -form  of  the  suff.,  instead  of  tl— .  Gesenius 
(Lehrgeb.  s.  306,  No.  10)  puts  the  verb  here  in  the  2d  pers. 
sing. ;  against  the  usage  of  the  book,  which  makes  no  such 
transitions  of  person  as  belong  to  lyric  and  prophetic  poetry. 
The  suff.  is  masc.  plur.,  because  it  refers  to  the  wise.  The 
si  after  the  "i  is  dropped  out  in  writing,  plainly  because  of 
the  si  inserted  before  it ;  but  then  it  should  still  be  written 
d^  (not  tn  ).  Of  course  we  are  compelled  to  admit  an  error 
here  in  the  vowel ;  or  else  to  admit  a  peculiar  anomaly  in 
pointing,  for  which  an  analogon  has  not  yet  been  produced. 
Of  the  meaning  of  the  passage,  as  a  whole,  there  is  no  room 
for  doubt. 


PART  II— CIIAP.  XIV.  4—7.  271 

(4)  "Where there  are  no  oxen,  the  stall  is  empty:  and  there  is  an 
abundance  of  productions  through  the  strength  of  cattle. 

Where  no  oxen  are  employed,  the  stalls  are  not  filled ;  but 
where  the  strength  of  cattle  is  employed,  there  increase  of 
produce  will  be  the  result.  —  ira  is  generic. 

(5)  A  faithful  witness  will  not  speak  lies:  but  he  who  breatheth 
forth  falsehood,  is  a  lying  witness. 

That  is,  he  who  habitually  indulges  in  falsehood.  —  ITS11' 
breathes  it  forth  —  will  do  the  same  thing  when  called  to 
testify. 

(6)  The  scorner  seeketh  wisdom,  and  there  is  none:  but  knowledge 
is  easy  to  the  understanding  man. 

Knowledge  is  the  gift  of  God  to  sincere  seekers ;  but  the 
scorner  belongs  not  to  them,  and  therefore  may  seek  and 
not  find.  —  V|33 ,  Part.  Niph.  of  bb£ .  But  the  gender  is 
masculine,  although  rs'n  is  the  subject.  This  brings  into 
view  an  important  class  of  exceptions  to  concord  in  gender. 
It  seems  that  Inf.  forms,  even  when  fern,  to  appearance,  are 
sometimes  treated  as  abstracts  without  any  really  appropriate 
gender,  and  may  resolve  themselves  of  course,  in  such  cases, 
into  the  leading  gender,  i.  e.  the  masculine.  So  in  Prov. 
16:16.  29 :  25.  Ps.  73  :  28.  See  also  for  n?^ ,  Prov.  2  :  10. 
Job  33 :  3.  And  sometimes  this  same  license  is  abnormally 
extended  to  other  nouns,  which  are  not  fern.  Infinitives  ;  e.  g. 
in  12:  25  above,  also  Job  8  :  7.  Ezek.  7:  25.  Josh.  2 :  17. 
See  Ewald,  §  174.  g,  who  has  more  extensively  developed 
this  idiom,  than  any  other  grammarian. 

(7)  Go  from  the  presence  of  a  foolish  man,  for  thou  hast  not  dis^ 
cerned  the  lips  of  knowledge. 

That  is,  quit  the  company  of  fools,  for  they  can  teach  thee 
nothing.  Thou  hast  knocked  at  the  wrong  door,  to  find 
what  thou  seekest,  if  thou  goest  to  them.  It  is  not  there, 
and  therefore  thou  hast  not  discerned  it. 


272  PART  II—  CHAP.  XIV.  8—13. 

(8)  The  wisdom  of  the  wary  man  discerns  his  way;  but  the  folly 
of  fools  is  deceit. 

The  wary  consider  and  understand  the  way  in  which  they 
go  ;  but  fools,  through  inconsideration,  are  deceived  as  to 
their  way.  and  are  easily  misled.  They  have  not  sufficient 
wisdom  to  discern  the  right  way. 

(9)  Sin-offering  mocks  fools;  but  among  the  upright  there  is  ready 
acceptance. 

Not,  as  most  interpreters  :  Fools  mock  at  sin-offering,  for 
then  the  verb  must  be  plural.  —  d'rx  is  plainly  the  Nom.  ;  and 
the  meaning  is,  that  when  sin-offering  is  formally  presented 
by  fools,  it  mocks  their  hopes,  because  it  is  not  accepted. 
Exactly  the  reverse  is  it  with  the  upright.  Their  offerings 
find  "psTn  ,  good-will,  i.  e.  ready  acceptance. 


(10)  The  heart   knoweth  its  own  bitterness  ;  and  with  its  joy  a 
stranger  cannot  intermeddle. 

In  other  words  :  '  Men  learn  by  experience  the  bitterness 
of  suffering,  better  than  any  one  can  tell  them  ;  and  others 
are  not  altogether  adequate  judges.'  —  And  so  with  enjoy 
ment  ;  it  is  subjective,  and  therefore  not  fully  cognizable  by 
any  intermeddler. 

(11)  The  house  of  the  wicked  shall  be  destroyed  ;  but  the  tent  of 
the  upright  shall  flourish.     (12)  There  is  a  way  which  is  right  in  the 
view  of  a  man,  and  yet  the  end  thereof  are  the  ways  of  death. 

For  v.  11,  comp.  12  :  7.  —  V.  12,  ^sb  =  Tpsa,  in  the  view 
of.  —  Ways  of  death,  plur.  of  intensity,  =  the  sure  way  of 
death. 

(13)  Even  by  laughter  the  heart  is  made  sad;  and  the  end  of  joy 
itself  is  sorrow. 

That  is  :  '  There  are  cases  where  laughter  is  premature, 
and  is  quickly  turned  into  sorrow.'  So  things  in  which  we 
rejoice  at  first,  sometimes  become  the  occasion  of  grief. 


PART  II—  CHAP.  XIV.  14—17.  273 

The  suff.  to  ftjvnrix  is  anticipative  of  Siniaia  ,  and  relates  to 
it;  see  under  13:4.  This  expresses  intensity;  which  is 
also  exhibited  in  the  version  above. 

(14)  He  shall  be  satiated  with  his  own  ways,  who  turneth  back 
with  his  heart  ;  but  away  from  him  is  the  good  man. 

In  5^  aio  ,  the  first  is  a  Part,  pass.,  lit.  the  phrase  means 
turned  back  of  heart,  which  we  are  obliged  to  modify  some 
what,  in  our  idiom.  —  His  ways,  are  evil  ways,  and  there 
fore  will  meet  with  ample  retribution.  —  ^5?^  ^as  occasioned 
much  perplexity.  Some  have  changed  it  into  other  words, 
significant  of  works,  retribution,  etc.  It  means,  however,  as  it 
is  translated  above  ;  and  the  sentiment  is,  that  the  good  man 
will  keep  aloof  from  him  who  turns  back.  He  will  not  asso 
ciate  with  him,  while  in  this  apostatizing  condition. 

(15)  The  simple  will  credit  every  report;  but  the  wary  will  give 
heed  to  his  steps. 

A  mark  of  folly  is  excessive  credulity  ;  and  by  this  the 
simpleton  is  misled.  But  the  wary  man  will,  as  we  say, 
look  before  he  leaps.  —  "H'^JS.  ,  is  sing.  ;  but  our  idiom  requires 
the  plural. 

(16)  A  wise  man  feareth,  and  turneth  away  from  evil;  but  the  fool 
is  haughty  and  confident 

"la^rri  ,  usually  means  :  is  enraged  ;  but  here  it  is  opposed 
to  the  modest  and  humble  course  of  the  wise,  and  means  to 
act  haughtily  ;  see  in  Lex.  The  fool  is,  from  self-conceit, 
haughty,  and  confident  in  his  own  opinion.  He  fears  not 
evil. 

(17)  He  who  is  hasty  in  his  anger,  committeth  folly;  and  a  man  of 
evil  devices  will  be  hated. 


tnax  -ixp  ,  is  a  peculiar  phrase.  The  opposite  is  in  v.  29 
below,  viz.,  d*;Bx  Tpi<  ;  lit.  short  of  anger,  and  long  of  anger. 
*isp  is  the  const,  of  ^Xjs  ,  §  111.  2.  It  is  singular,  that  the 
nostrils  should  have  been  pitched  upon  by  the  Hebrews,  as 


274  PAIJT  11—  CHAP.  XIV.  18—20. 

the  most  expressive  symbol  of  anger.  This  passion  does 
indeed  inflate  and  distend  the  nostrils,  and  sometimes  express 
itself  by  snorting  ;  but  the  eye  is  more  significant  of  it,  as 
we  are  apt  to  think.  Yet  however  this  may  be,  the  sec 
ondary  sense  of  >r;X  is  anger,  rage.  Short  ("i^p)  of  anger 
means  Itasty  to  become  angry,  i.  e.  no  delay  is  given  to  it.  — 
In  the  latter  clause,  nrara  is  taken  by  Berth,  in  the  good 
sense  =  consideration  ;  and  he  makes  out  the  sense  thus  : 
*  A  man  of  prudent  consideration  will  be  hated,  i.  e.  provided 
he  does  evil.'  But  whence  comes  this  last  supplement  ?  I 
see  no  special  ground  for  it.  On  the  other  hand,  Uinbreit 
and  J.  H.  Michaelis  render  as  above  ;  and  so  doing,  all  is 
plain.  Comp.  24:  8  and  12  :  16. 

(18)  The  simple  inherit   folly;    hut  the  wary  are  crowned  with 
knowledge. 


M^  ,  in  Hiph.  ;  but  as  there  is  no  Kal,  it  is  here  used 
in  an  intransitive  way,  and  may  be  rendered  passively  as 
above.  So  Gesenius  :  coronantar  intelligentia,  in  Lex.  Lit. 
it  would  run  thus  :  Make  a  crown  of  knowledge. 

(19)  The  evil  how  down  hefore  the  good;  yea,  the  wicked  at  the 

gates  of  the  righteous. 

That  is,  the  ivicked  low  down  (from  the  first  clause),  be 
fore  the  gates  of  the  righteous.  The  first  clause  represents 
them  as  suppliants  in  poverty,  addressing  the  righteous  ;  the 
second  makes  the  sentiment  more  specific,  representing  them 
as  beggars  at  the  door  of  their  righteous  neighbors.  —  Jintt, 
Kal  Perf.,  from  nnia  ,  Dagh.  omitted  in  n  because  of  the 
Guttural. 

(20)  Even  by  his  neighbor  is  the  poor  man  hated  ;  but  they  who 
love  the  rich  are  many. 

This  has  respect  to  the  negligence  and  coldness  with 
which  the  poor  are  usually  treated,  even  by  their  neighbors 
who  best  know  their  wants  ;  while  the  rich  find  many  pro- 


PAUT  11— CHAP.  XIV.  21—24.  275 

fessed   friends  and  flatterers  —  a  true  but  sad  picture  of 
what  is  happening  every  day. 

(21)  He  who  despiseth  his  neighbor,  is  a  sinner;  but  he  that  show- 
eth  mercy  to  the  poor —  blessed  is  he  ! 

This  verse  is  designed  as  a  sequel  to  the  preceding  one, 
which  states  the  fact  as  to  the  treatment  of  the  poor.  Such 
conduct  is  sinful.  But  he  that  showeth  mercy,  will  draw  down 
blessings  upon  himself. 

(22)  Do  not  those  err  who  devise  iniquity  '\  But  merciful  and  trusty 
are  they  who  devise  good. 

Mercy  and  truth,  are  abstracts  for  merciful  and  truthful. 
The  devising  of  good,  here  refers  to  the  good  which  is  devised 
in  regard  to  the  poor.  Such  as  devise  it  are  merciful  to  the 
poor,  waA.  faithful  or  true  to  their  duty  as  humane  men. 

(23)  In  all  toil  then-  i:-j  profit ;  but  the  word  of  the  lips  tendeth  only 
to  want. 

That  is  :  *  Every  sort  of  doing  is  attended  with  profit ;  but 
lip-doings  are  rewarded  by  want.'  The  word  of  the  lips 
means,  of  course,  that  which  the  lips  utter.  Here,  prating 
is  in  view,  i.  e.  the  much  speaking  or  utterance  of  what  is 
useless  and  mischievous.  This  makes  a  man  hated,  and 
causes  him  to  be  neglected  by  those  who  might  employ  him 
in  labor  that  would  yield  some  profit.  The  consequence  is 
want  or  poverty.  Is  only  to  want,  strictly  follows  the  Hebrew; 
but  in  our  idiom  we  usually  say  :  tends  only  to  want,  and  so 
I  have  translated. 

(24)  A  crown  of  the  wise  is  their  wealth;  but  the  elevation  of  fools 

is  folly. 

The  wealth  which  the  wise  acquire,  instead  of  being  fool 
ishly  squandered,  is  used  in  such  a  way  as  to  be  an  ornament 
to  them.  —  But  high  dignity  conferred  on  fools,  only  makes 
their  folly  conspicuous,  and  serves  not  at  all  to  adorn  them. 


276  PART  II—  CHAP.  XIV.  25,  26. 


That  the  first  rnfiX  here  has  a  different  meaning  from  the 
second,  seems  to  be  nearly  certain.  Otherwise  we  must 
translate  thus:  The  folly  of  fools  is  folly  ;  which  would  be 
merely  a  tame  truism  of  little  significance.  Truisms  are  not 
the  order  of  the  day,  in  this  book.  The  proverb  plays  upon 
the  two  senses  of  apparently  the  same  word,  and  its  point 
consists  in  their  difference  of  meaning.  The  old  root,  Sw  , 
is  expressive  first,  of  strength,  might  ;  hence  ^>x  ,  God,  or  the 
mighty  One.  Secondly,  it  designates,  (as  "would  naturally 
follow  from  the  first  meaning),  being  powerful  or  having 
power,  as,  e.  g.  a  prince  or  a  king.  So  the  Arabic  Vix  (av-val) 
means  prince,  primus  ;  and  the  Heb.  t^x  and  D^X  mean 
potentates.  Of  course  rfj-ix  ,  derived  from  the  root  now  in 
question,  may  mean  principatus,  premiership,  elevation  in 
rank.  But  the  second  nb-ix  comes  from  Pix  ,  to  be  foolish. 
In  this  way,  the  proverbial  saying  becomes  a  striking  paro 
nomasia  ;  which,  in  apothegms,  is  quite  frequent  in  all  lan 
guages.  We  have  then  this  sentiment  :  '  While  riches  are 
so  employed  by  the  wise  as  to  become  an  ornament  to  them, 
high  rank  bestowed  on  a  fool,  instead  of  serving  to  honor 
him,  only  manifests  more  conspicuously  his  folly.  It  sets 
him  up  as  a  mark  of  observation  and  contempt/  Bertheau 
has  taken  a  different  course,  but,  as  it  seems  to  me,  a  much 
less  significant  one,  viz.,  The  foolish  perversion  of  riches  is 
folly.  But  I  do  not  see  whence  we  can  readily  deduce  the 
first  part  of  this  explanation. 

(25)  A  faithful  witness  saveth   lives;  but  he  who  breatheth  forth 
falsehoods,  is  a  deceiver. 

Saves  lives,  viz.,  those  lives  which  are  endangered  by  false 
accusations  ;  but  he  who  utters  falsehoods  is  a  deceiver,  i.  e. 
is  treacherous  to  the  cause  of  truth  and  justice.  —  rtE-Ta  ,  lit. 
deceit,  but  here  used  as  abstract  for  concrete.  The  meaning 
is  given  in  the  version. 

(26)  In  the  fear  of  Jehovah  is  strong  .confidence  ;  and  to  his  sons 
there  shall  be  a  refuge. 


PART  II—  CHAP.  XIV.  27—30.  277 

The  first  clause  is  descriptive  of  a  person  who  fears  God, 
although  he  is  not  named,  but  only  characterized.  Hence, 
in  the  second  clause,  we  find  iijnb  ,  to  his  sons.  Whose  ? 
The  answer  must  be  :  The  sons  of  him  ivho  fears  God. 
Sentiment  :  *  Piety  is  a  ground  of  confidence  for  one's  self 
and  children.' 

(27)  The  fear  of  Jehovah  is  a  fountain  of  life,  to  depart  from  the 
snares  of  death. 

Comp.  13  :  14.  The  fear  of  God  answers  the  double  pur 
pose  of  being  in  itself  a  source  of  life,  and  also  a  means  of 
escaping  from  death. 

(28)  The  glory  of  a  king  is  in  a  numerous  people;  but  in  the  lack 
of  people  is  the  destruction  of  a  prince. 

•jin  is  taken  by  Gesenius  and  some  otners  here,  as  —  "jTYn  , 
prince.  Such  forms,  in  a  like  sense,  occur  occasionally,  and 
they  are  grammatically  possible  ;  e.  g.  psiiss  and  piais  .  But 
if  we  derive  'i'n  from  nn  ,  to  make  slender  or  lean,  then  we 
must  translate  the  two  last  words  thus  :  Is  destructive  leanness, 
viz.,  to  the  king.  This  makes  good  sense  ;  but  the  other 
makes  the  parallelism  more  exact. 

(29)  He  who  is  slow  to  anger,  has  much  understanding;  but  heAvho 
is  of  a  hasty  spirit,  setteth  folly  on  high. 


For  o^QX  Tynj*  ,  see  remarks  on  v.  17.  —  n*n  "i^p,  is  of  the 
like  nature  and  opposite  meaning.  —  d^a  ,  Hiph.  Part,  of 
W"\  ,  here  means  not  to  elevate  in  the  usual  sense  of  exalting, 
but  to  set  on  high,  so  as  thus  to  make  it  a  conspicuous  object. 

(30)  The  life  of  the  flesh  is  a  soothing  heart  ;  but  a  rottenness  of 
the  bones  is  passionate  vehemence. 


,  plur.,  only  here.     The  plur.  form  can  hardly  be 
here  regarded  as  expressive  of  an  abstract  noun,  or  as  one 
of  mere  intensity.     There  is  no  place,  at  least  no  demand, 
for  either  meaning.     I  should  incline,  with  Bertheau,  to  put 
24 


278  PART  II— CHAP.  XIV.  31,  32. 

the  form,  in  this  case,  to  the  account  of  designed  parallelism 
of  form,  or  of  rhythm,  with  the  plural  nte? .  But  perhaps 
C^m  is  to  be  taken  in  the  extensive  sense  of  the  plur.,  and 
if  so,  it  =  the  entire  body.  —  The  Part,  adjective  XQ^'S  stands 
opposed  to  ftx?f?  —  soothing  in  contrast  with  exciting.  —  Rot 
tenness  of  the  bones,  would  be  a  thorough  destruction  of  the 
human  frame  ;  and  is  intensive  in  its  meaning.  —  i"^?p?  5  is 
sometimes  envy,  then  jealousy,  and  next  indignation ;  but 
here  its  generic  meaning,  passionate  vehemence,  is  most 
congruous. 

(31)  He  who  oppresseth  the  poor,  reproacheth  his  Maker;  but  he 
honoreth  him,  who  hath  compassion  on  the  poor. 

God  made  the  poor,  and  ordered  their  condition  ;  reproach 
for  mere  poverty  is  therefore  out  of  place,  and  a  kind  of 
impiety.  Of  course  the  meaning  is  here  limited,  in  some 
good  measure,  to  such  as  are  poor  by  birth  or  misfortune,  and 
extends  not  to  the  poor  who  have  become  so  by  sloth  and 
crime.  Yet  even  these,  although  they  may  be  made  amenable 
to  justice,  ought  not  to  be  oppressed.  —  He  honoreth  him,  i.  e. 
honoreth  God,  who,  etc.  Our  verb  compassionate,  used 
actively,  would  take  an  Ace.  after  it,  like  the  Heb.  ",5'n . 
Comp.  17:5.  22  :  2.  But  I  have  preferred  the  more  usual 
phraseology  in  the  version. 

(32)  In  his  baseness  the  wicked  is  thrust  away;  but  the  righteous 
hath  confidence  in  his  death. 

Thrust  away,  viz.,  taken  suddenly  away  out  of  life.  "  The 
wicked  shall  not  live  out  half  their  days."  The  righteous 
man,  on  the  contrary,  fiDh ,  exercises  trust  or  confidence,  when 
he  dies.  How  ?  or  why  ?  are  questions  for  those  to  answer, 
who  deny  that  the  Hebrews  had  any  hope  of  a  future  state. 
If  they  had  not,  then  what  is  the  ground  or  source  of  hope  or 
confidence,  in  a  dying  hour  ?  This  verse  must  be  a  real  prob 
lem  for  those  who  have  such  views  of  the  state  of  knowledge 


PART  II— CHAP.  XIV.  33—35.  279 

among  the  Hebrews.  If  there  was  nothing  beyond  the  grave, 
in  their  view,  on  what  is  the  hope  or  confidence  here  spoken 
of  fixed  ? 

(33)  In  the  heart  of  the  understanding  dwellcth  Avisdom ;  but  what 
is  -\vithin  fools  shall  he  made  known. 

Dwelleili,  rjsisn ,  rests,  quietly  abides.  The  Heb.  is  stronger 
than  the  version.  —  ^52  answers,  to  2?  ,  and  means  the  inner 
part,  the  mind  or  heart,  not  the  mere  physical  interior.  — 
/Shall  be  made  known, —  what  ?  The  only  answer  seems  to  be, 
wisdom,  (the  verb  is  fern.).  Of  course,  the  latter  part  of  the 
verse  is  a  pointed  saying,  an  oxymoron,  q.  d.  while  wisdom 
dwells  quietly  in  the  breast  of  the  intelligent,  a  fool  parades 
his  boasted  wisdom,  and  makes  it  known  to  all  men.  The 
passage  is  weU  and  fully  illustrated  by  12  :  23.  13  :  16.  15:2. 
In  the  second  case,  therefore,  wisdom  is  implied,  but  the  word 
is  employed  ironically  =  such  wisdom  as  belongs  to  fools/ 

(34)  Righteousness  exalteth  a  nation ;  but  sin  is  the  reproach  of 
any  people. 

"ion ,  reproach,  being  a  sense  of  the  word  which  is  rare  in 
the  Hebrew,  but  very  common  in  Aramaean.  —  E"}2S<b ,  the 
sing,  is  rarely  employed ;  the  plur.  is  designed  to  signify  the 
people  en  masse  or  collectively  considered,  i.  e.  it  is  the  plur. 
of  extension. 

(35)  The  good  will  of  a  king  is  toward  a  discreet  scnrant;  but  he 
who  behaveth  shamefully,  will  be  the  object  of  his  indignation. 

Bertheau  prefers  to  supply  b  before  'd'HE ,  and  translates 
thus  :  And  his  anger  will  be  to  the  base  servant.  This  is  well 
enough  as  to  sense  and  grammar ;  but  the  other  method,  as 
in  the  version,  is  more  significant  and  energic. 


280  PART  11— CHAP.  XV.  i— 7. 


CHAP.  XV.  1—33. 

(  1  )  A  soft  answer  turneth  away  wrath  :  but  bitter  words  heighten 
anger. 

Bitter  words,  lit.  a  word  of  grievousness,  so  to  speak.  — 
ffoy*  ,  Hiph.  causes  to  rise,  heightens.  Nothing  excites  anger 
so  often  and  so  much  as  bitter  words. 

(2)  The  tongue  of  the  wise  makcth  knowledge  grateful  ;  but  the 
mouth  of  fools  will  pour  out  foolishness. 

nSJ'n  a^i?"1^  ,  may  be  rendered,  makes  knowledge  good.  So 
Bertheau  ;  but  the  true  idea  I  take  to  be  expressed  in  the 
version.  When  the  wise  speak,  it  is  in  such  a  way  as  to 
make  the  instruction  grateful  to  those  who  listen.  —  3pa^  , 
(from  SS3),  makes  to  gush  forth,  a  very  strong  expression. 

(3)  The  eyes  of  Jehovah  are  in  every  place,  watching  the  evil  and 
the  good.     (4)  Softness  of  the  tongue  is  a  tree  of  life  ;  but  perverse- 
ness  therewith  is  a  crushing  of  spirit. 


,  watching,  is  more  intense  than  beholding.  —  Soft 
ness  of  the  tongue,  means  mild  and  pacifying  language.  —  A 
tree  of  life  is  a  vivid  image  of  life-giving  power.  —  n*na,  lit. 
in  spirit.  The  meaning  is  given  in  the  version  ;  and  in  Is. 
65  :  1  4  we  have  the  same  words,  with  the  prep,  a  omitted. 

(5)  A  fool  despises  the  instruction  of  his  father;  but  he  Avho  re- 
gardeth  admonition  shall  become  wary.  (6)  In  the  house  of  the 
righteous  there"  is  much  wealth  ;  but  the  gain  of  the  wicked  is  a 
trouble. 

V.  5,  tn^S?  ,  lit.  shall  act  warily,  which,  however,  is  sub 
stantially  expressed  in  the  version.  —  V.  6,  rva  ,  Ace.  of 
place,  in  the  house,  as  we  express  it.  The  Heb.  might  use 
in  (a),  but  needed  it  not.  —  -  rrnasa  (in  Pause),  Part,  noun,  of 
Niph.  formation,  meaning  disturbance,  inquietude. 

(7)  The  lips  of  the  wise  disperse  knowledge;  but  the  heart  of  the 
fool  is  not  stable. 


PART  II— CHAP.  XV.  8—10.  281 

inn  ,  Piel  Imperf.  of  rnt .  —  "jsts-x^ ,  may  be,  and  often  is, 
rendered  is  not  so,  i.  e.  is  not  so  that  it  scatters  knowledge. 
So  Chald.  and  Vulgate  ;  but  the  Sept.  and  Syr.  render  as 
above.  This  gives  a  better  sense  ;  for  the  meaning  is,  that 
the  heart  of  the  fool  has  not  steadfastness  enough  to  select 
or  retain  a  firm  position,  so  as  to  aid  others  by  good  counsel. 

(8)  The  sacrifice  of  the  wicked  is  the  abomination  of  Jehovah  ;  but 
the  prayer  of  the  upright  is  his  delight.  (9)  An  abomination  of  Je 
hovah  is  the  way  of  the  wicked  ;  but  he  will  love  him  who  followeth 
after  righteousness. 

The  sacrifice  of  the  wicked,  and  so  the  prayer  of  the  wicked, 
and  the  way  of  the  wicked,  are  all  an  abomination  to  Jehovah. 
Why  ?  Because  he  sees  no  sincerity  or  real  humility  in 
any  of  them,  inasmuch  as  all  is  done  for  the  sake  of  appear 
ance,  or  at  most,  through  terror  of  punishment.  —  Sft'iB ,  is 
Piel,  and  intensive  =  habitually  pursues. 

(10)  A  grievous  chastisement  is  for  him  who  forsaketh  the  way  5 
he  who  hateth  admonition  shall  die. 

The  way  is  the  way  of  Jehovah,  i.  e.  that  which  he  pre 
scribes.  —  Shall  die,  is  a  phrase  which  we  often  meet  with, 
in  connection  with  commination  for  offences.  Sometimes  it 
is  explained  by  phrases  significant  of  sudden  death,  early 
death,  premature  or  violent  death,  and  the  like.  But  at  other 
times,  it  occurs,  as  here,  unexplained  by  any  additions. 
How  much  are  we  to  attribute  to  it  ?  To  say  that  it  threatens 
punishment,  is  saying  only  what  lies  of  course  upon  the  face 
of  it.  But  ivhat  punishment  f  and  how  much  ?  These  are 
more  difficult  questions.  Clearly  all  sinners  are  not  pun 
ished  in  this  world,  either  with  sudden,  or  violent,  or  prema 
ture  death.  The  Psalmist  often  complains  of  their  flourish 
ing  condition,  and  of  there  being  "  no  bands  in  their  death." 
And  every  day  we  see  the  like  at  the  present  time.  If  then, 
under  these  expressions,  the  Hebrews  did  not  suppose  there 
lay  some  threat '  of  future  retribution,  what  did  or  could 
24* 


282  PART  II-CnAp.  XV.  11. 

they  make  of  them?  That  their  views  on  the  subject 
were  somewhat  indistinct,  as  to  various  particulars,  no  one 
well  informed  on  the  subject  will  venture  to  deny.  But 
I  know  not  who  can  fairly  read  the  book  of  Ecclesiastes,  and 
deny  all  definite  views  among  the  Hebrews  in  regard  to  this 
matter.  Let  him  ponder  well  the  following  passages,  viz., 
3:  16,  17.  8:  11—13.  11:  9.  12:  13,  14.  It  is  indeed  true, 
that  when  the  book  before  us  was  written,  "  life  and  immor 
tality  had  [not]  been  brought  to  light."  But  can  we  make 
out  anything  significant,  or  really  intelligible,  in  the  passage 
before  us,  and  in  other  like  passages,  without  supposing  the 
Hebrews  to  have  looked  to  some  future  retribution  ?  To 
say  to  the  wicked  man  :  Thou  shall  die,  if  we  mean  merely 
a  natural  and  ordinary  death,  is  saying  no  more  than  Provi 
dence  says,  every  day,  to  the  good  as  well  as  to  the  wicked. 
To  say  that  all  of  the  wicked  die,  or  shall  die,  a  sudden,  vio 
lent,  premature  death,  is  saying  what  is  most  evidently  not  a 
matter  of  fact  or  truth.  What  then  did  or  could  a  Hebrew 
mean  by  such  phraseology  ?  This  question  necessarily  forces 
itself  upon  us.  I  trust  the  phrase  in  question  has  some 
meaning ;  and  if  it  has  one  which  is  intelligible,  it  would 
seem  to  be,  that  the  idea  of  future  retribution  must  have 
entered  into  the  minds  of  those  who  employed  this  language. 
Otherwise  no  meaning,  which  is  at  the  same  time  both  sig 
nificant  and  true,  can  well  be  attached  to  it. 

(11)  The  Under-world  and  Destruction  arc  before  Jehovah  ;  surely 
then  the  hearts  of  the  children  of  men. 

Sheol  and  Abaddon  are  two  different  names  for  one  and 
the  same  place.  /Sheol  is  properly  the  region  of  the  dead ; 
and  fTnax,  the  place  of  destruction;  and  this  last  phrase 
characterizes,  in  another  way,  the  world  of  the  dead,  i.  e. 
the  place  where  their  bodies  are  destroyed,  or  the  world  which 
is  deep  beneath,  and  therefore  dark  and  obscure.  But  God 
sees  even  this,  —  however  dark  ;  much  more  then  are  human 


PART  II— CHAP.  XV.  12—16.  "  283 

hearts  all  open  and  plain  before  his  sight.     "  I,  the  Lord, 
search  the  heart." 

(12)  A  scorncr  will  not  love  his  reprover  ;  unto  the  wise  he  will  not 
go.  (13)  A  merry  heart  maketh  comely  the  face:  but  by  vexation 
of  heart,  the  spirit  is  broken. 

He  will  not  go  to  the  ivise,  because  he  hates  reproof,  and 
expects  that  they  will  administer  it.  —  A  merry  heart  here 
means  merely  a  joyful  one.  —  Maketh  comely  or  fair  the  face, 
because  joy  lights  it  up  with  hope  and  with  smiles,  and  so 
makes  it  look  pleasant. 

(14)  An  intelligent  mind  will  seek  earnestly  after  knowledge  ;  but 
the  mouth  of  fools  will  delight  in  folly. 

For  ISB  (so  Kethibh)  read  IB  with  the  Qeri ;  for  the  verb 
which  follows  is  in  the  singular.  —  nr^ ,  in  its  secondary 
sense,  namely  delight  in  =  nis'n ,  see  Lex.  —  The  mouth  will 
delight  in,  means  that  it  will  utter  readily  and  in  abundance 
foolish  words. 

(15)  All  the  days  of  the  afflicted  are  sad;  but  cheerfulness  of  heart 
is  a  perpetual  feast. 

It  is  plain  that  t^sn  here  means  sad,  (as  often  elsewhere), 
from  the  contrast  presented  in  the  verse.  Cheerfulness, 
which  is  lasting  and  diffuses  itself  over  all  our  actions  and 
enjoyments,  is  not  merely  like  a  feast  which  is  temporary, 
but  is  like  a"  perpetual  feast,  i.  e.  an  enduring  source  of 
pleasure. 

(16)  Better  is  a  little,  with  the  fear  of  Jehovah,  than  much  treas 
lire,  and  trouble  therewith. 

Trouble  or  perturbation  refers  to  the  perplexity  and  solici 
tude,  that  usually  accompany  the  possession  of  riches.  The 
efforts  for  the  safe  keeping  of  them,  the  fear  of  losses  and 
the  like,  occasion  of  course  much  anxiety.  How  insignifi 
cant  then  the  pleasure  of  wealth,  in  comparison  with  that 
of  p'ety,  even  in  moderate  circumstanc.es  ! 


284  -PART  II— CHAP.  XV.  17—21. 

(17)  Better  is  a  dinner  of  herbs  and  love  therewith,  than  a  stalled 
ox  and  hatred  therewith. 

A  further  development  of  the  trouble  which  wealth  occa 
sions.  If  he,  who  can  feed  on  stalled  oxen,  is  exposed  to 
hatred  and  envy  because  of  his  wealth,  then  his  neighbor 
who  feeds  on  herbs,  in  quietude  and  without  molestation  or 
envy,  is  much  the  happier  man.  —  nn^K  •>  viaticum,  meal,  such 
as  an  jrjix  (traveller)  takes  on  his  journey,  i.  e.  plain  and 
coarse  food. 

(18)  An  angry  man  will  stir  up  strife  ;  hut  he  who  is  slow  to  anger, 
will  appease  contention. 

The  sentiment  is  plain.  See  nearly  the  same  ideas,  in 
29:22.  28:25. 

(19)  The  way  of  the  slothful  is  like  a  thorn-hedge ;  but  the  way  of 
the  upright  is  a  high-way. 

A  thorn-hedge  presents  impassable  obstructions  to  the  tray- 
eller,  at  least  very  annoying  ones.  Not  so  with  the  upright ; 
their  way  is  elevated ;  and  the  idea  of  elevating  a  way,  is 
that  of  constructing  a  way  like  what  we  call  a  turn-pike  road. 
In  other  words :  '  The  way  of  the  upright  is  plain  and  easy ; 
that  of  the  wicked,  greatly  obstructed.' 

(20)  A  wise  son  will  make  a  glad  father ;  but  a  foolish  man  de- 
spiseth  his  mother. 

Comp.  10 :  1.  The  wise  listeneth  to  parental  advice  ;  the 
foolish  despise  it,  and  so  give  pain  to  the  adviser,  instead  of 
making  him  glad. 

(21)  Folly  is  joy  to  him  who  lacketh  understanding  5  but  the  man 
of  intelligence  will  make  straight  his  going. 

To  commit  folly  is  his  delight,  is  the  meaning  of  the  first 
clause.  —  nab ,  Inf.  fern,  of  7^  ;  lit.  then,  the  two  last  words 
mean :  Will  take  a  straight  course  to  go.  The  sense  of  the 
words  is  given  in  the  version,  in  a  way  conformed  to  our 


PART  II—  CHAP.  XV.  22—25.  285 

idiom  ;   but  the  real  meaning  is  a  moral  one  =  will  act 
uprightly  and  not  deceitfully. 

(22)  Plans  without  counsel  are  frustrated;  but  by  the  increase  of 
counsellors,  there  shall  be  stability. 

-ten,  Inf.  abs.  Hiph.  of  "fiB,  §  128.  4.  b;  lit.  there  is  a 
frustration.  —  nipfi  is  also  quasi  impersonal,  and  may  be 
rendered  as  in  the  version  ;  comp.  in  Is.  7:  7j  for  the  mean 
ing.  If  we  render  strictly,  it  must  be  thus  :  It  shall  stand 
firm,  where  the  pronoun  it  refers  to  the  whole  concern  or 
undertaking  ;  or  we  may  naturally  enough  supply  the  con 
jugate  noun  that  corresponds  to  n^ss/h  (Part.)  which  would 
be  1-1x3  .  The  sense  is  substantially  the  same  in  either  way. 

(23)  There  is  joy  to  a  man  in  the  answer  of  his  mouth;  and  a 
word  spoken  in  its  season  —  how  goodly  ! 

That  is,  a  man  has  joy  in  answering  with  goodly  or  timely 
words.  It  is  a  source  of  satisfaction,  to  have  such  an 
answer  in  his  power.  C.  B.  Michaelis  and  others  :  There  is 
rejoicing  (on  the  part  of  others)  over  the  man  who  answers, 
etc.  But  b  can  hardly  be  brought  to  the  meaning  of  over 
here,  nor  is  the  sense  improved  by  thus  translating. 

(24)  The  way  of  life  to  the  wise  is  upward  that  he  may  turn  away 
from  the  Under-world  beneath. 


Upward  is  here  employed  as  the  antithesis  of  fi^a  ,  down 
ward,  beneath.  In  other  words,  he  chooses  his  way  so  as  to 
keep  himself  in  the  region  above,  and  not  in  the  abyss  beloiv. 
—  riBB  is  in  pause,  for  rr&q  ;  and  this  is  compounded  of  a^  , 
a  low  place,  and  tt-  local,  for  the  regular  accent  of  the  word 
is  on  the  penult,  which  shows  that  rt—  is  local,  and  not  radical. 

(25)  The  house  of  the  proud  Jehovah  will  demolish;  but  he  will 
establish  the  border  of  the  widow. 

House  probably  means  here  family  or  household;  or  it  is 
like  our  familiar  word  establishment.  Instead  of  demolishing, 


286  PAKT  II— CIIAI-.  XV.  26—31. 

he  will  render  firm  and  secure,  the  domains  of  the  widow. — 
H&"1 ,  Imperf.  of  HD3 . 

(26)  An  abomination  of  Jehovah  arc  the  devices  of  evil ;  but  words 
of  comity  arc  pure. 

d§b ,  suavity,  pleasantness,  or  as  in  the  version.  —  Are  pure, 
i.  e.  in  the  eyes  of  Jehovah,  the  opposite  of  that  which  is 
abomination  in  his  view.  Pure  =  acceptable,  i.  e.  the  case 
is  like  to  that  of  an  offering,  which  must  be  pure  in  order  to 
be  accepted. 

(27)  He  troubleth  his  house,  who  acquireth  unrighteous  gain;  but 
he  who  hateth  bribes  shall  live. 

The  gain  in  question  is  plainly  that  which  results  from 
bribes,  as  the  latter  clause  shows.  The  supposition  is  that 
of  being  bribed,  in  the  case  of  deciding  as  a  judge.  The 
honest  judge  who  refuses  such  gifts,  shall  be  prospered. 

(28)  The  heart  of  the  righteous  meditatcth  on  an  answer:  but  the 
mouth  of  the  wicked  gushes  forth  with  malignity. 

Meditates  on  an  answer,  because  he  is  anxious  to  give  a 
right  and  true  one.  The  wicked  makes  no  scruple  to  belch 
forth  malignant  things.  —  rvb1?,  plur.  of  intensity. 

(29)  Far  removed  is  Jehovah  from  the  wicked;  but  the  prayer  of 
the  righteous  will  lie  hear.     (30)   The  light  of  the  eyes  rejoiceth  the 
heart;  a  good  report  maketh  the  bones  to  flourish. 

Light  of  the  eyes  is  that  which  the  eyes  see ;  just  as  good 
report  is  what  the  ears  hear.  There  is  an  implied  compari 
son  here,  viz. :  As  the  light  rejoices,  etc.,  so  a  good  report  ren 
ders  one's  state  or  condition  pleasant.  —  2:12  (in  pause)  here 
in  the  singular,  but  it  is  generic. — Of  course,  "j^'ifi  has  a 
secondary  or  tropical  meaning  here,  as  given  in  the  version. 

(31)  The  ear  which  heareth  the  reproof  of  life,  shall  dwell  in  the 
midst  of  the  wise. 


PART  II— CHAP.  XVI.  1,  2.  287 

Reproof  of  life,  is  that  which  leads  to  life,  or  which  ad 
monishes  respecting  the  way  of  life.  Hearkening  to  this,  is 
of  course  the  way  in  which  the  path  of  life  and  of  wisdom 
is  to  be  found. 

(32)  lie  who  rejccteth  instruction  despiseth  his  own  life;  but  he 
who  hcarkeneth  to  reproof,  acquired!  understanding. 

Here  again  we  meet  with  that  peculiar  and  forcible  idiom 
of  the  Hebrew,  despiseth  his  own  life,  i.  e.  treats  it  as  though 
he  despised  it  —  makes  no  provision  for  its  safety  and  wel 
fare.  The  phrase  is  of  the  same  tenor  as  the  following  : 
All  that  hate  me  love  death  ;  He  that  cometh  to  me,  and  hateth 
not  his  father,  etc. 

(33)  The  fear  of  Jehovah  is  the  instruction  of  wisdom  ;  and  before 
honor  is  hurnilitv. 

That  is  :  *  Without  the  fear  of  Jehovah,  wisdom  cannot  be 
acquired  ; '  or  in  other  words  :  '  Wisdom  counsels  to  fear 
God.'  —  This  necessarily  implies  humility  ;  and  therefore,  in 
order,  to  obtain  honor  from  him,  humility  must  precede  the 
gift. 

CHAP.  XVI.  1—33. 

(1)  The  preparations  of   the    heart  appertain  to  man;   but  from 
Jehovah  is  the  answer  of  the  tongue. 

Preparations  of  the  heart,  are  what  the  heart  devises  or 
intends.  But  answer  of  the  tongue,  is  an  answer  to  that 
which  the  tongue  utters,  viz.,  its  requests.  God  only  can 
accomplish  what  is  desired.  The  German  maxim  is  very 
appropriate  here  :  Man  denki ;  Gott  lenkt. 

(2)  All  the  ways  of  a  man  are  pure  in  his  own  eyes  ;  but  Jehovah 

wcigheth  the  spirits. 

Gomp.  21:  2.  24:  12,  the  same  as  this  verse,  with  only  a 
little  variation  of  phraseology.  A  man,  who  judges  all  his 
own  conduct  to  be  pure,  judges  wrongly  ;  but  he  will  be 


288  PART  II—  CHAP.  XVI.  3,  4. 

corrected  by  him  who   impartially  weighs  and   scans  the 
spirits  of  men,  and  whose  judgment  is  unerring. 

(3)  Cast  upon  Jehovah  thine  undertakings,  and  thy  plans  shall  be 
established. 

ba,  Imper.  of  ^ba,  lit.  roll,  devolve;  we  say,  in  such  a 
case  —  cast  upon,  etc.  Comp.  Ps.  22  :  9  (10).  37:  5.  In 
other  words  :  l  Look  to  God  in  all  thine  undertakings,  and 
he  will  give  accomplishment  to  them.' 

(4)  Jehovah  hath  made  everything  for  its  purpose;  yea,  even  the 
wicked  for  the  da    of  evil. 


litwnab  has  been  misunderstood  by  most  of  the  ancient 
interpreters,  and  by  many  modern  ones.  The  suff.  refers 
to  b'3  .  They  render  it  as  though  the  word  were  the  same 
as  i5?.3ab,jfor  himself.  The  noun  nssa  lit.  means  answer; 
see  15  :  1,  23.  16  :  1.  The  tropical  sense  is,  that  which,  cor 
responds  to,  or  is  consonant  with,  any  purpose,  design,  or 
action.  So  everything  (bis)  is  made  in  accordance  with  its 
correspondence,  i.  e.  with  the  design  or  purpose  to  which  it 
answers.  —  Ttie  wicked  are  fitted,  by  their  temper  and  con 
duct,  for  the  day  of  retribution.  It  is  an  ordinance  of  God 
that  they  shall  receive  that  retribution  which  is  the  answer, 
or  that  which  corresponds,  to  their  conduct.  —  That  the  Ma- 
sorites  had  some  such  view  of  the  word  ifisrab  ,  seems  prob 
able  from  their  inserting  the  article,  (b  exhibits  it,  as  also  the 
Dagh.  that  follows),  for  either  could  not  belong  to  the  par 
ticle  ^yq  .  Of  course  they  doubtless  had  nsrs  ,  answer,  in 
view.  So  anxious  do  they  seem  to  have  been  to  indicate 
this,  that  they  have  inserted  the  article  against  the  rule, 
which  requires  its  omission  when  the  word  has  a  suff.  pro 
noun,  §  108.  2.  This  should  not  be  overlooked  ;  for  it  gives 
us,  at  least,  their  judgment  in  regard  to  the  true  state  and 
meaning  of  the  word. 

[In  respect  to  the  sentiment  of  the  text,  it  is  a  passage  which  has  been 
sometimes  urged  to  an  excessive  length.     When  the  extreme  Predes- 


PART  II— CHAP.  XVI.  5.  289 

tinarian  deduces  from  it  the  sentiment,  that  "  God  made  the  wicked 
for  the  very  purpose  of  punishing  them  and  of  making  them  forever 
miserable,"  I  must  regard  this  as  pushing  matters  to  a  great  extreme. 
And  yet,  there  is  one  light  in  which  we  may  view  this  matter,  which 
will  show  that  to  a  certain  extent,  or  within  certain  limits,  this  senti 
ment  may  be  assented  to.  That  '  God  made  every  thing  and  every 
man.  to  answer  the  purposes  which  it  or  he  does  actually  answer,' 
cannot  be  denied,  unless  we  maintain  that  things  and  men  arc  what 
they  are,  contrary  to  his  will.  This  would  be  to  make  the  creature 
superior  to  the  Creator.  When  the  text  says,  that  God  made  the 
wicked  for  the  day  of  evil  I  understand  it  as  meaning,  that  God  has  so 
arranged  things,  that  punishment  will  certainly  follow  the  commission 
of  sin,  unless  averted  by  repentance.  He  has  connected  together 
sinning  and  suffering,  so  that  there  can  be  no  escape  for  the  impenitent 
sinner. 

There  is  quite  a  difference  between  the  position,  that  God  has  made 
sinning  to  be  connected  with  suffering,  and  the  proposition,  that  God  has 
made  men  sinners,  and  made  them  so  in  order  that  they  might  be 
fitted  for  damnation.  There  have  been  some,  who  have  maintained 
the  latter  position,  by  virtually  omitting,  in  their  reasoning,  a  link  — 
a  very  important  one  —  which  belongs  to  a  considerate  and  logical 
train  of  reasoning.  That  link  is  YQalfree  moral  agency ;  and  with  this 
stands  connected  consequentially  another  link,  not  less  important, 
viz.,  voluntary  ill-desert  of  the  sinner,  and  the  consequent  justice  of  pun 
ishing  him.  God  has  so  arranged  his  government  of  moral  beings, 
that  the  day  of  evil  will  and  must  come,  to  such  of  them  as  sin  and 
remain  impenitent.  Ttie  day  of  retribution  is  the  «133>E  ,  the  correspond 
ent  answer  to  the  doings  of  the  sinner.  In  other  words,  as  before : 
'  He  has  made  punishment  to  correspond  to  crime.'  Further  than 
this,  I  think  few  will  now  venture  to  go.] 

(5)  An  abomination  of  Jehovah  is  every  man  of  a  lofty  mind  ; 
should  hand  be  added  to  hand,  he  will  not  go  unpunished. 

nna ,  adj.  const,  form  of  fnss ,  with  n  Mappiq  and  mova 
ble.  —  *rb  T< ,  see  under  11:21.  I  take  the  idea  here  to  be, 
that  although  one  hand  should  be  added  to  the  other,  i.  e. 
although  a  haughty  man  may  employ  all  his  poiver  (for  this 
the  use  of  both  hands  indicates)  of  resistance,  yet  he  will  not 
be  able  to  get  free  from  the  penalty  of  his  offence. 


290  PART  II—  CHAP.  XVI.  6—10. 

(6)  By  mercy  and  truth  is  sin  expiated,  and  in  the  fear  of  Jehovah 
there  is  a  turning  away  from  evil. 


The  figurative  sense  of  ^^  (atoned)  is  doubtless  in 
tended  here.  Neither  sin-offerings  nor  the  blood  of  bulls 
and  goats  ;  neither  mercy  to  others,  nor  adherence  to  truth  ; 
can  atone  for  sin,  in  the  higher  and  proper  sense  of  this 
word.  But  mercy  and  truth,  exhibited  by  a  good  man,  may 
be  a  good  reason  why  he  should  go  free  from  such  visita 
tions  as  overtake  the  presumptuous  wicked  in  the  present 
world.  In  accordance  with  this,  are  the  constantly  recur 
ring  promises  made  in  this  book  to  a  good  and  virtuous 
course  of  conduct.  —  The  fear  of  Jehovah,  is  the  most  effect 
ual  of  all  persuasives  to  turn  from  evil.  Without  it,  an 
evil  course  will  never  be  heartily  forsaken. 

(7)  When  the  ways  of  a  man  are  well-pleasing  to  Jehovah,  he  will 
make  even  his  enemies  to  be  at  peace  with  him. 

A  truly  pious  man  will  be  blessed  of  God,  and  have  peace 
even  on  the  part  of  his  enemies.  They  will  find  little  to 
censure,  and  have  little  or  no  pretext  for  injury.  Of  course, 
this  is  only  a  general  truth  ;  to  which  are  not  a  few  excep 
tions.  Such  are  the  cases  of  persecution  for  righteousness' 
sake. 

(8)  Better  is  a  little  with  justice,  than  large  revenues  without  right. 
(9)  The  heart  of  man  deviseth  his  way,  but  Jehovah  will  make  firm 
his  steps. 

sba  ,  lit.  with  not  =  without.  —  S^n*  ,  Piel,  with  an  in 
tensive  sense  —  laboriously  devise  his  way.  But  that  way 
will  not  be  successfully  travelled,  unless  Jehovah  shall  make 
his  steps  firm  and  vigorous. 

(10)  An  oracle  is  on  the  lips  of  a  king;  in  judgment  his  mouth 
should  not  prevaricate. 


usually  means  sentence  of  a  god,  or  of  his  agent, 
viz.,  a  diviner.     What  is  here  meant  is,  that  what  a  king 


PART  II— CHAP.  XVI.  11.  291 

utters  is  of  high  import  and  authority.  —  On  the  lips,  means 
hangs  on  the  lips,  or  depends  on  the  lips.  —  Since  this  is  the 
case,  he  should  look  well  to  it,  that  he  utters  nothing  perfid 
ious  or  prevaricating.  —  bre1?  means,  to  act  perfidiously,  or  to 
prevaricate.  The  sentence  of  a  good  king  should  be  just, 
simple,  sincere;  and  there  should  be  in  it  no  design  of 
deceiving  or  misleading. 

(11)  The  steel-yard  and  the  balances  of  justice  are  Jehovah's;  his 
work  are  all  the  stones  of  the  bag. 

obs  is  always  associated  with  balances,  and  it  would  seem 
therefore  to  belong  to  the  apparatus  for  weighing.  Most 
probably  it  was  the  rod  or  yard,  on  which  the  figures  indi 
cating  exactly  the  weight  were  marked.  The  Hebrew  says 
nothing  indeed  of  steel,  but  our  English  word,  as  in  the  ver 
sion,  gives  us  the  familiar  idea  of  the  thing  aimed  at.  Sen 
timent  of  the  first  clause  :  t  Jehovah  employs  no  other  than 
just  weights  ;'  or  else:  'Only  just  balances  does  Jehovah 
approve.'  The  second  is  more  difficult.  His  work  are  all 
the  stones  of  the  bag,  refers  to  the  stones,  which  were  used  as 
weights,  and  kept  in  a  bag;  see  Deut.  25:  13.  Mic,  6:  11. 
But  why  are  all  these  called  his  work  ?  The  answer  may  be 
given  thus  :  The  all  in  this  case  refers  to  the  whole  of  the 
weights,  great  and  small;  and  as  the  latter  are  employed 
only  in  adjusting  niceties  of  weight,  so  the  idea  seems  to  be, 
that  the  balances  which  Jehovah  approves  or  employs,  are 
adjusted  with  the  utmost  possible  exactness  in  all  respects. 
In  this  way  we  find  the  second  clause  to  be  climactic.  Sen 
timent  :  '  Jehovah  not  only  does  justice,  but  he  exacts  jus 
tice  of  all  men  toward  each  other.' 

It  is  evident,  that  if  the  balances  and  iveights  are  spoken 
of  as  belonging  to  God  in  the  sense  of  his  employing  them, 
the  language  is  highly  figurative.  The  sentiment,  however, 
is  quite  plain,  viz.,  that  Jehovah,  in  all  his  dealings,  is  per 
fectly  just.  In  case  we  interpret  the  passage  in  this  way, 


292  PART  II— CHAP.  XVI.  12—14. 

there  is  plainly  instruction  given  to  men  by  it.  The  object 
is  not  merely,  nor  even  mainly,  to  teach  the  perfect  justice 
of  God,  but  to  hold  this  up  as  an  exemplar  for  men.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  whole  sentiment  may  have  this  turn 
given  to  it :  '  Jehovah  acknowledges  as  his,  viz.,  as  that 
which  he  approves,  only  just  balances  and  weights.  He 
condemns  all  others.'  I  prefer  the  last. 

(12)  The  doing  of  evil  is  an  abomination  of  kings ;  for  by  righte 
ousness  is  the  throne  established. 

The  sentence  is  capable  of  this  meaning :  It  is  an  abomi 
nable  thing  for  kings  to  do  evil ;  but  the  next  verse  shows 
that  we  must  understand  by  abomination  here,  the  feeling 
of  mind  which  kings  have,  or  should  have  themselves, 
and  not  that  which  they  excite  in  others.  Why  do  they 
abominate  the  doing  of  evil?  The  answer  is:  'Because 
they  are  exposed  to  lose  their  throne  by  it ; '  or,  in  other 
words :  '  Righteousness  among  the  people  is  the  only  thing 
which  can  render  the  throne  stable.'  The  first  interpreta 
tion  gives  a  good  meaning;  but  the  second  gives  one  in 
accordance  with  the  following  verse.  ',13^ ,  Imperf.  Niph. 
of  "(Sis .  In  XS3 ,  the  Dagh.  is  compensative,  the  old  form 
being  XD"i3 ,  as  in  Syriac  ;  see  Lex. 

(13)  Lips  of  truth  are  the  delight  of  kings,  and  he  who  speaketh 
uprightly  shall  be  loved. 

p1!^ ,  lit.  justice,  but  here  being  in  opposition  to  false 
speaking,  it  may  with  propriety  be  rendered  as  in  the  ver 
sion.  —  Q^r-; ,  adverbial  Ace.  plur.,  §  98.2.  §  116.3.- 
3ftN£  (in  pause),  without  any  express  Nom.  We  may  sup 
ply  the  indef.  Nom.  one;  or,  (which  is  here  altogether 
equivalent),  render  the  verb  passively,  as  in  the  version. 
Or,  with  all  the  ancient  Versions,  we  may  supply  T^>a ,  as  an 
obvious  mode  of  particularizing  the  preceding  fi^a . 

(14)  The  wrath  of  a  king  is  messengers  of  death ;  but  a  wise  man 
will  propitiate  it. 


PART  n— CHAP.  XVI.  15—17.  293 

That  is,  when  the  king  is  angry,  he  commissions  the  mes 
sengers  of  death  to  execute  his  indignant  sentence.  The 
simple  manner  of  saying  this,  by  merely  using  the  phrase : 
is  messengers  of  death,  is  bold,  striking,  and  pointed.  The 
phrase  is  elliptical,  but  not  obscure.  —  Since  kingly  wrath 
is  attended  with  such  bitter  consequences,  a  wise  man  will 
seek  to  soften  it ;  cornp.  19:12.  20 :  2,  and  Ecc.  8 :  4. 

(15)  In  the  light  of  the  king's  countenance  is  life;  and  his  favor  is 
like  the  latter  rain. 

The  wrath  of  the  king  (v.  14)  has  here  an  antithesis  in 
the  phrase  :  the  light  of'  his  countenance ;  for  the  counte 
nance  is  lighted  up,  when  one  is  pleased.  In  this  is  life ; 
for  the  object  of  complacency  is  in  no  danger  from  messen 
gers  of  death.  —  Latter  rain  is  that  which  falls  just  before 
the  harvest,  and  fills  out  and  completes  the  crops. 

(16)  To  acquire  wisdom  —  how  much  better  than  fine  gold!     To 
win  intelligence,  is  to  be  chosen  rather  than  silver. 

nb£  is  Inf.  const.,  although  this  form  is  somewhat  rare, 
§  74.  n.  2.  In  the  second  clause,  m'ajD  (the  normal  form)  is 
employed.  Variety  in  the  form  of  the  same  word  appears 
to  be  here  an  object  of  choice.  —  'nnas ,  that  which  is  to  be 
chosen,  optandum.  There  is  no  article  here  before  gold  and 
silver.  Usually  it  is  inserted  in  such  cases,  (§  107.  Kern.  5); 
but  poetry,  and  especially  the  brevity  of  gnomes,  may 
omit  it. 

(17)  The  highway  of  the  upright  is  the  turning  away  from  evil ; 
he  who  preserved!  himself,  carefully  watcheth  his  way. 

The  upright  will  not  wittingly  go  in  the  path  of  evil,  and 
therefore  they  turn  away  into  another  and  safer  way.  Who 
ever  means  to  remain  secure,  must  look  well  to  the  way 
which  he  takes,  and  adhere  constantly  to  it.  The  partici 
ples  here  are  employed  to  designate  what  is  habitual  mid 
constant. 

»• 


*#K. 

«Rl«LK 


294  PART  II— CHAP.  XVI.  18—22. 

(18)  Before  destruction  is  pride :  and  before  stumbling  is  haughti 
ness  of  spirit.  (19)  Better  is  lowliness  of  mind  with  the  humble, 
than  the  dividing  of  spoil  with  the  haughty. 

"  God  will  resist  the  proud."  Pride  goes  before  destruc 
tion,  and  is  the  ground  or  cause  of  it.  —  rna ,  a  Segholate 
of  class  iii.  (§  91.6),  and  therefore  when  it  is  put  in  the 
const,  state  with  a  noun,  it  does  not  change  its  form.  — 
fii'ttsnnat ,  (so  Qeri,  but  without  any  necessity),  the  prep. 
~nx  has  the  meaning  of  companionship,  association  with  ; 
see  Lex.  nx ,  ii.  2.  —  The  dividing  of  spoil  implies  victory, 
and  of  course  exultation,  the  usual  consequence  of  which  is 
pride  or  haughtiness.  In  this  way  it  stands  virtually 
opposed  to  lowliness  of  mind.  —  p|n  Inf.  of  Piel,  here 
nominascens. 

(20)  He  who  is  prudent  respecting  any  matter,  shall  find  good;  and 
as  to  him  who  confideth  in  Jehovah  —  blessed  is  he  ! 

*tt  may  mean  command,  and  then  we  have  it  thus :  He 
who  acts  wisely  in  respect  to  commandment,  etc.  But  the 
sense  given  above  is  of  wider  extent,  or  more  generic.  — 
The  form  l^m  is  never  employed  but  in  the  plural  const. 
or  suff.  state,  as  here. 

(21)  He  who  is  wise  of  heart  shall  be  called  intelligent;  and  sweet 
ness  of  speech  will  increase  instruction. 

The  Heb.  lit.  thus:  To  the  wise  of  heart,  there  shall  be 
called  ",1:23 .  This  idiom  our  language  does  -not  employ.  I 
have  conformed  the  version,  therefore,  to  our  own  idiom,  the 
sense  remaining  the  same.  —  Sweetness  of  speech  means 
gentle  and  persuasive  language;  for  lips,  as  the  Heb.  has  it, 
here  means  what  the  lips  speak.  This  sweetness  attracts 
listeners,  and  so  increases  knowledge. 

(22)  A  well-spring  of  life  is  discretion  to  him  who  possesseth  It; 
but  the  instruction  of  fools  is  follv. 


PART  II—  CHAP.  XVI.  23—25.  295 

There  is  a  variety  of  opinion  in  respect  to  some  parts  of 
this  verse.  Still,  there  seems  to  be  little  difficulty  in  it.  — 
1^23  brj  ,  is  lit.  the  prudence  of  its  possessor,  i.  e.  the  pru- 
deiice  of  him  who  is  the  possessor  of  such  a  virtue.  We 
are  obliged  to  change  the  manner  of  the  expression.  1^>2 
has  a  plural  form,  which  attaches  to  it  in  the  same  manner  as 
to  n^rt'^N;  (see  Lex.)  without  a  plur.  meaning,  constituting 
what  is  called  a  pluralis  excellentiae.  —  TJte  master  or  pos 
sessor  of  discretion  =  the  discreet  man.  —  Such  a  man  is  a 
fountain  of  life  to  others,  because  of  his  example  and  pre 
cepts.  But  a  fool,  if  he  undertake  to  instruct,  can  only 
teach  folly  ;  and  this  is  no  fountain  of  life,  but  of  death. 

(23)  The  heart  of  the  wise  will  make  his  mouth  skilful;  and  will 
increase  instruction  upon  his  lips. 

Wisdom  will  cause  discreet  speech,  which  is  skill  in  elo 
quence  ;  and  will  add  instruction  to  what  is  on  the  lips  of 
such  a  man,  i.  e.  to  the  words  which  he  utters.  It  will  do 
so,  because  discreet  language  will  naturally  attract  listeners. 
—  tpp'i  =  sp&ii  ,  Hiph.  Imperf. 


(24)  Pleasant  words  are  a  honey-comb,  sweet  to  the  soul,  and  heal 
ing  to  the  bones. 

Are  a  honey-comb,  that  is,  are  like  to,  etc.,  for  nothing  is 
more  common,  than  for  a  Hebrew  to  say  are  for  are  like.  — 
pi'r.E  seems  of  course  to  have  relation  to  'n'ox  ,  plur.  —  But 
I  take  it  here  as  an  abstract  noun,  like  the  neuter  adj.  in 
Greek  and  Latin.  Often  so  in  Hebrew.  Lit.  then  we  have 
siveetness,  which  does  not  require  conformity  of  either  num 
ber  or  gender  to  its  antecedent.  The  same  in  respect  to 
Mna  .  —  Bone,  in  the  sing.,  is  taken  in  the  same  tropical 
sense,  as  liaa  ,  i.  e.  it  here  means  the  person  or  whole  body. 

(25)  There  is  a  way  which  is  right  in  the  sight  of  a  man;  and  yet 
the  end  thereof  is  the  ways  of  death. 


296  PART  II— CHAP.  XVI.  26—28. 

See  14  :  12  for  the  same.  In  other  words  :  'A  man  may 
come  to  regard  a  thing  as  right,  which  in  the  end  will  prove 
to  be  destructive  and  fatal.'  How  often  is  this  maxim  still 
verified ! 

(26)  The  appetite  of  him  who  toils,  is  toilsome  to  him,  for  his 
mouth  urgeth  him  on. 

Is  toilsome  to  him,  i.  e.  makes  him  strenuously  exert  himself, 
for  appetite  is  urgent.  —  Ib ,  I  regard  as  Dot.  incommodi  here, 
viz.,  to  his  inconvenience.  —  His  mouth  =  appetite.  It  is 
urgent  on  him,  corresponds  with  the  Heb.  Tbs ,  the  }>$  being 
put  before  the  thing  or  person  urged ;  as  often  in  Hebrew. 
Meaning :  '  A  strong  appetite  unappeased  is  urgent  and 
troublesome.' 

(27)  A  worthless  man  diggeth  up  evil;  and  on  his  lips  is  as  it  were 
a  scorching  fire. 

fK3 ,  Part.,  is  somewhat  of  a  difficult  word  here.  The 
verb  means  to  dig,  e.  g.  a  well,  pit,  ditch,  etc.  Ges.  renders 
n^  rn'3  by  perniciem  parat,  which  gives  the  sense,  but 
drops  the  imagery.  To  me  it  appears  thus  :  As  a  man  who 
digs  a  well,  naturally  and  justly  expects  some  good  reward 
for  his  labor,  in  the  water  which  it  affords,  so  the  worthless 
man  who  digs  up  evil,  finds  his  appropriate  reward ;  or,  as 
we  say,  (with  a  small  variation  of  the  verb  in  Hebrew),  digs 
up  evil,  that  is.  obtains  it  as  the  reward  of  his  efforts.  —  The 
ivorthless  man  here  seems  to  be  described  in  the  second 
clause,  as  a  detractor,  calumniator.  —  On  his  lips  (==  the 
words  which  hang  upon  his  lips)  is  that  which  resembles  a 
scorching  fire,  i.  e.  heated  calumnious  speeches. 

(28)  A  man  of  perversities  will  stir  up  strife  ;  and  the  prater  sepa- 
rateth  friends. 

A  man  of  perversities,  is  one  who  is  very  deceitful  and 
crafty.  —  "jsria ,  with  formative  \- ,  the  root  being  rna ,  to  speak 


PART  II— CHAP.  XVI.  20—31.  297 

rapidly.     Such  a  prater  very  often   separates   friends   by 
tattling  scandal, 

(29)  A  m:m  of  violence  will  deceive  his  neighbor;  and  cause  him 
to  go  in  a  way  not  good. 

That  is,  he  will  allure  or  deceive  his  neighoor,  so  as  to 
lead  him  to  the  commission  of  violence,  i.  e.  of  rapine  and 
spoil,  and  thus  bring  him  into  an  evil  and  dangerous  way. 

(30)  He  who  shutteth  his  eyes  in  order  to  devise  what  is  perverse, 
he  who  compresseth  his  lips,  hath  accomplished  evil. 

The  eyes  are  often  shut,  when  one  designs  to  think  closely 
and  strenuously  about  anything ;  because  notice  of  all  that 
is  external  can  thus  be  prevented,  and  one  can  then,  as  we 
say,  think  the  harder.  —  Compression  of  the  lips,  indicates  firm 
determination  or  resolution.  This  is  taken  as  a  sign  of 
evil  already  committed ;  because  his  firm  resolution,  it  is 
here  supposed,  will  be  carried  into  execution.  Hence  the 
declaration  :  hath  accomplished  evil. 

(31)  A  crown  of  splendor  is  gray-hair,  should  it  he  found  in  the 
way  of  righteousness. 

The  image  is  vivid.  Gray  hairs  crown  the  head ;  but 
that  crown,  in  the  case  supposed,  is  splendid  or  beautiful. 
Yet  this  is  not  so  in  and  of  itself  merely ;  for  the  wicked 
have  gray  hairs  also  in  old  age.  In  my  version,  I  have 
made  the  second  clause  express  the  condition  on  which  such 
a  crown  is  splendid.  This  neither  »Umbreit  nor  Bertheau 
have  done.  They  understand  it  thus  :  '  It  is  a  crown  of 
splendor,  because  it  is  evidence  that  the  man  is  good ;  for 
none  but  the  good  attain  to  such  an  age.'  But  is  this  con 
gruous  with  facts  ?  With  facts  that  always  were,  and  still 
are,  before  every  man's  eyes  ?  The  version  above  does  not 
contravene  any  laws  of  grammar  ;  and  certainly  it  comports 
with  truth.  The  Nom.  to  xsan  is  irnito ,  which  =  old  age. 


298  PART  II—  CHAP.  XVi.  32,  33. 

(32)  Better  is  he  who  is  slow  to  anger,  than  the  mighty;  and  he 
that  ruleth  his  own  spirit,  than  he  who  taketh  a  city. 

Moderation  of  one's  own  passions  is  better  than  deeds  of 
valor ;  and  subjugation  of  one's  own  mind,  than  the  con 
quest  of  a  city.  Clearly  there  is  a  high  and  noble  moral 
tone  in  this. 

(33)  The  lot  is  cast  into  the  lap  ;  but  from  Jehovah  is  the  whole 
disposal  thereof. 

Men  may  cast  lots  in  order  to  ascertain  their  future  luck ; 
or  they  may  embark  in  adventures  at  much  risk,  hoping  that 
all  will  come  out  well ;  but  Jehovah  alone  can  and  does 
decide  the  issue  of  all  such  matters. 

[There  is  in  this  verse  an  idiom  of  which  our  Grammars  have  taken 
a  very  inadequate  notice.  It  is  this,  viz.,  that  the  Ace.,  b^iSTTniK , 
appears  here  as  a  Norn,  or  subject ;  and  so  it  is  rendered  in  the  ver 
sion  —  ad  sensum  indeed,  yet  not  in  such  a  way  as  discloses  the  idiom 
of  the  Hebrew.  The  real  fact  is,  that  there  is  a  large  number  of  cases, 
where  the  verb  passive  in  the  third  sing.^  is  used  in  a  kind  of  impersonal 
way,  without  reference  to  the  number  or  gender  of  the  noun  which 
seems  to  be  its  Nom.,  but  which  is  actually  in  the  Ace.  The  fact  that 
such  noun  belongs  to  the  Ace.  seems  to  be  evident,  from  the  consid 
eration  that  there  is,  in  respect  to  the  verb,  no  regard  paid  either  to 
the  number  or  gender  of  the  nouns  in  question.  This  may  be  easily 
shown.  We  may  make  two  divisions:  (I.)  Those  nouns  which  follow 
the  passive  verb  of  the  third  sing,  masculine,  which  is  nearly  always  in  the 
Imperf.  (a)  Sinn.  masc.  with  ntt  before  it,  the  usual  mark  of  the 
Ace.;  c.  g.  Gen.  17  :  5.  Ex.  10  :  8.  21:  28.  25:  28.  Lev.  10  :  18.  Deut. 
12:  22.  20:  8.  Josh.  7:  15.  2  Sam.  21:  11.  Prov.  1G:  33.  Jcr.  38  :  4. 
50  :  20.  Gen.  4  :  18.  Num.  26  :  GO.  Lev.  13  :  49.  (I)  Pliir.  masc.  with 
nj<  before  it;  Lev.  2:  8.  Jcr.  35  :  14.  Gen.  27:  42.  Ex.  27:  7.  Amos 
4:  2.  (c)  Sing.  fern,  with  DK  ;  Num.  32  :  5.  1  Kings  2  :  21.  (d)  Sing, 
fern,  without  mjg,  Ex.  31:  15.  Hos.  10:  6.  (II.)  Nouns  preceding  the 
verb,  and  without  fitf  .  (a)  Fern,  sing.,  Ex.  12:16.  Is.  14:3.  21:2. 
(b)  Fern,  plural,  Ex.  13  :  7.  Num.  28:  17.  Ps.  87:  3.  Job  22  :  9. 

I  find  but  one  instance  of  a  fern,  noun  without  HX ,  joined  with  a 
verb  in  the  third  sing.  masc.  of  the  Perfect,  viz.,  Num.  26 :  62.  There 
may  be  more  of  the  like  kind  :  but  they  must  be  rare. 


PAUT  II— CIIAP.  XVII.  1.  299 

With  such  a  list  before  us  as  is  exhibited  above,  it  would  be  diffi 
cult  to  maintain  with  Gesenius  (in.  Lex.),  that  HX  may  stand  before 
the  Norn.;  for  if  this  be  admitted,  it  will  solve  only  a  small  part  of 
the  phenomena  in  question.  These  present  us  with  a  verb  sing. 
masc.,  in  the  Imperf.  of  some  passive  voice,  and  .connected  with  the 
sing,  masc.,  and  plural  masc..  and  fern,  sing.,  all  with  flX ,  (and  also 
fern.  sing,  without  fix),  all  following  the  verb;  then  preceding  the  verb, 
we  have,  without  P.X  ,  the  fern,  sing.,  and  the  fern,  plural.  Those  nouns 
which  are  without  PK  (the  Ace.  mark),  are  still  so  conditioned,  that 
we  know  they  must  be  in  the  Ace.  It  follows  from  this  view  of  the 
subject,  since  the  verb  remains  in  the  same  condition  in  all  these  vari 
eties  of  gender,  number,  and  location,  that  it  must  be  used  in  an 
impersonal  way,  for  it  has  manifestly  no  conformity  to  its  apparent 
subjects  or  Nominatives.  The  Heb.  employs  the  sing.  Passive  often 
in  a  neuter  way,  instead  of  the  3d  pers.  plur.  with  an  indef.  Nom., 
which  the  Chaldee  and  Syriac  so  often  exhibit.  Plainly  the  third 
sing.  pass,  in  Hebrew,  is  equivalent  to  the  third  plur.  active  with  an 
indef.  Nom.  In  the  latter  case,  (see  §  134. 3. 6),  the  active  voice  would 
demand  the  Ace. ;  and  as  the  third  sing.  pass,  is  used  in  its  place, 
since  it  is  lighter  and  more  facile  of  enunciation,  it  retains  the  same 
case  which  the  act.  third  plur.  would  require. 

Very  much  of  what  is  usually  named  anomaly  as  to  concord  in  the 
Hebrew,  is  easily  solved  in  this  way  :  and  if  this,  idiom  be  fully  under 
stood,  one  may  thereby  explain  a  large  portion  of  the  alleged  anomalies 
of  the  Hebrew.  Ewald,  in  §  273.  6,  has  done  more  to  illustrate  this 
Hitherto  obscure  matter,  than  I  have  elsewhere  found ;  and  to  him  I  stand 
mainly  indebted  for  the  list  of  examples  produced  above,  although  he 
has  not  classified  them,  as  lias  here  been  done.] 


CHAP.  XVII.  1—28. 

(1)  Better  is  a  dry  morsel  and  quietude  therewith,  than  a  house 
filled  with  slaughtered  beasts  and  strife. 

nnrnt  is  not  limited  to  beasts  appropriate  to  offerings; 
for  these  Q^ns::  appropriately  indicates.  It  means  beasts 
slaughtered,  either  for  feasts  or  offerings,  i.  e.  it  is  generic. 
"We  cannot  well  imitate  the  Hebrew  here,  which  lit.  runs  thus  : 
slaughtered  beasts  of  strife.  The  Gen.  here  —  of  strife  — 


300  PART  II— CHAP.  XVII.  2—5. 

qualifies  the  preceding  noun,  and  indicates  either  that  the 
beasts  were  obtained  by  strife,  or  that  they  are  eaten  with 
strife.  —  The  dry  morsel  is  bread;  and  this,  without  any  fat 
or  flesh  to  accompany  it. 

(2)  A  discreet  servant  shall  rule  over  a  son  who  acteth  basely ;  and 
among  brethren  shall  he  divide  an  inheritance. 

By  discretion  the  servant  will  at  last  obtain  a  higher  place 
than  the  profligate  son,  and  even  become  his  master.  He 
will,  moreover,  attain  to  an  inheritance,  as  if  he  were  of  the 
same  class  with  the  brother-heirs.  The  base  son  will 
become  the  slave  of  his  former  servant,  and  give  up  his 
property  to  him. 

(3)  The  fining-pot  for  silver,  and  the  furnace  for  gold  ;  but  the 
searcher  of  hearts  is  Jehovah. 

That  is,  the  fining-pot  may  try  silver,  and  the  furnace 
disclose  true  gold  ;  but  only  Jehovah  can  explore  the  human 
heart. 

(4)  An  evil  doer  listeneth  to  the  lip  of  mischief;  the  deceitful  man 
listeneth  to  the  tongue  of  destruction. 

3ns ,  Part.  Hiph.  of  yyy ,  final  Pattah  because  of  the  *i .  — 
"i£^,  lit.  falsehood  or  deceit  ;  but  here  the  abstract  is  plainly 
used  for  the  concrete,  and  is  so  rendered  in  the  version.  — 
•pra ,  apparently  from  "p" .  which  however  I  do  not  find  in 
Ges.  Lex.  ;  but  it  may  be  taken  as  =  T"N;C  ,  Hiph.  of  "jtx  to 
listen;  Ewald,  §  141.  a.  2.  Such  contractions  are  not  un- 
frequent,  in  which  N  is  omitted  in  the  writing. — The  plur. 
rnn  is  intensive  here ;  which  we  cannot  well  imitate,  without 
circumlocution. 

(5)  lie  who   deridetli   the  poor,  reproacheth  his  Maker;  he  who 
rejoiceth  in  sudden  calamity,  shall  not  be  guiltless. 

The  second  clause  leads  us  to  assign  sudden  calamity  as 
the  cause  of  the  poverty  brought  to  view  in  the  first.  — 
Part.  n^3> ,  with  the  suff.  *n- . 


PART  II— CHAP.  XVII.  6—9.  301 

(6)  The  crown  of  the  aged  is  the  sons  of  sons  ;  and  the  glory  of 
children  is  their  fathers. 

That  is :  Parents  are  honored  and  made  happy  by  a  nu 
merous  progeny,  and  dutiful  children  glory  in  their  ancestors. 

(7)  The  lip  of  eminence  is  not  comely  for  a  fool ;  much  less  the  lip 
of  falsehood  for  a  prince. 

Lip  of  eminence,  means  speech  such  as  belongs  to  eminence 
(=  eminent  men),  or  is  characteristic  of  it.  Eminence  is 
entitled  to  command,  and  to  be  obeyed.  Such  a  place,  then, 
is  not  seemly  for  a  fool.  —  *nn^ ,  first  remainder  ;  then  abun 
dance  ;  then  eminence,  as  here.  — 13  t)K,  after  a  negative, 
means  much  less  ;  see  Lex.  After  13 ,  rnxi  (contracted  from 
rma)  is  implied. 

(8)  A  present  is  a  precious  stone,  in  the  eyes  of  its  possessor; 
whithersoever  it  shall  turn,  it  will  prosper 

A  present  (^nw)  here  means  a  bribe  given  to  secure  influ 
ence.  He  who  receives  such  a  present,  regards  it  as  a  pre 
cious  stone,  e.  g.  as  of  value  like  a  diamond.  Hence  comes 
the  tropical  language  of  the  last  clause.  A  diamond  reflects 
a  variety  of  lights,  when  viewed  on  this  side  or  on  that. 
Turn  it  how  you  please,  it  will  never  cease  to  reflect  lustre  ; 
and  this,  the  text  calls  prospering  or  succeeding,  i.  e.  it  never 
fails  to  reflect  lustre.  So  of  a  bribe  if  accepted  ;  it  will  in 
fluence  in  many  ways,  even  without  a  consciousness  of  its 
power,  on  the  part  of  the  receiver.  Turn  he  which  way  he 
will,  the  influence  of  it  will  follow  him. 

(9)  lie  who  covereth  a  transgression,   secketh  love;  but  he  who 
repeateth  a  report,  scparatcth  friends. 

"ilM ,  a  word  or  saying,  means,  as  the  sequel  shows,  a 
report  which  is  wounding  to  the  good  name  or  the  feelings 
of  a  friend.  The  repetition  would  show  some  degree  of  sat 
isfaction  in  the  thing ;  which  of  course  would  be  offensive. 
—  naio  for  naiia ,  Part. 

26 


302  PART  II—  CHAP.  XVII.  10—14. 

(10)  Rebuke  will  sink  deep  into  an  intelligent  man,  more  than  the 
smiting  of  a  fool  a  hundred  times. 

nnpj  ,  Imperf.  fern.  Kal  of  nns  ,  n  (with  Tseri)  because  the 
Gutt.  rejects  Daghesh.  Sentiment  :  i  A  man  of  intelligence 
will  be  more  influenced  by  mere  rebuke,  than  the  fool  by 
severe  scourging.' 

(11)  Only  contumacy  will  the  evil  man  seek  ;  but  a  cruel  messen 
ger  shall  be  sent  against  him. 

The  contumacy,  •np  ,  here  in  question,  is  that  of  subjects 
toward  their  rulers.  When  displayed,  the  ruler  sends  his 
messenger  of  justice,  who  will  severely  punish. 

(12)  Meet  a  bear  robbed  of  her  whelps  by  a  man,  but  not  a  fool  in 
his  folly. 


iJiB,  Inf.  abs.  for  Imper.,  §  128.  4.  b.  c.  —  [Meet]  not  a 
fool,  etc.  That  is  :  'It  is  better  to  meet  an  enraged  bear, 
than  a  fool  in  the  exercise  of  his  folly/ 

(13)  He  who  requiteth  evil  for  good,  evil  will  not  depart  from  his 
house. 

The  Kethibh  reads  v^  in  Hiph.,  the  Qeri  lito  in  Kal  ; 
both  are  equally  good.  This  agrees  well  with  :  "  Render 
not  evil  for  evil." 

(14)  The  commencement  of  strife  is  the  letting  out  of  water;  be 
fore  it  rolleth  itself  onward,  let  strife  alone. 

Where  water  is  dammed  up,  a  small  breach  in  the  dam 
occasions  a  rush  of  water,  which  speedily  widens  that  breach, 
and  then  it  rolls  on  in  impetuous  torrents.  So  with  strife, 
which,  though  trifling  at  first,  when  persevered  in,  becomes 
impetuous  and  mischievous.  Therefore,  Let  alone  strife,  be 
fore  it  rolls  on,  like  the  impetuous  torrent.  —  i:&b  ,  before  in 
point  of  time  here,  Lex.  D.  2.  b.  —  "bann  ,  Hith.  Inf.  of  s&a  , 
which  is  like  to  bba  ,  according  to  the  older  interpreters,  and 
so  Bertheau.  This  sense  is  quite  congruous  here,  as  it  keeps 


PART  II— CHAP.  XVII.  15—17.  303 

up  the  metaphor  of  water  rushing  forth  so  that  it  cannot  be 
checked. 

(15)  He  who  justifieth  the  wicked,  and  he  who   condemned!  the 
righteous,  are,  even  both  of  them,  an  abomination  of  Jehovah. 

Even  both  is  designed  to  specificate,  and  to  speak  with 
energy.  It  does  not  assert  that  both  are  guilty  in  the  same 
degree,  but  represents  both  to  be  so  far  guilty,  as  to  be  an 
abomination  of  Jehovah. 

(16)  Why  should  a  price  be  in  the  hand  of  a  fool,  in  order  to  ac 
quire  wisdom,  when  there  is  no  understanding  ? 

That  is,  a  man  cannot  purchase  wisdom  for  any  price,  who 
is  without  understanding ;  for  this  is  absolutely  necessary  to 
the  acquisition  of  it. 

(17)  The  friend  loveth  at  all  times;  but   a  brother  for  adversity 
must  be  born. 

A  somewhat  difficult  passage,  in  respect  to  the  last  clause. 
—  At  all  times,  i.  e.  as  well  in  adversity  as  in  prosperity,  a 
true  friend  will  love.  —  A  brother  for  adversity,  (for  so  the 
accents  indicate  the  connection  to  be),  is  one  who  will  act 
the  part  of  a  brother  in  a  season  of  adversity.  Of  such  an 
one  it  is  said :  "ib^ ,  he  must  or  shall  be  born,  (possibly)  he  is 
born.  I  do  not  understand  this  last  clause,  unless  the  asser 
tion  is,  that  none  but  such  as  are  born  brethren,  i.  e.  kindred 
by  blood,  will  cleave  to  us  when  in  distress.  Yet  this  is 
true  only  in  a  qualified  sense  ;  for  the  most  that  we  can  say 
is,  that  comparatively  few  are  friends  in  adversity,  excepting 
one's  relatives  by  descent.  But  another  shade  of  meaning 
may  be  assigned  to  the  passage  ;  which  is,  that  such  a  man 
as  a  friend  in  adversity,  is  yet  to  be  born,  i.  e.  none  such  are 
now  to  be  found  ;  thus  making  it  substantially  equivalent  in 
sense  to  the  expression :  *  How  few  and  rare  are  such  faith 
ful  friends ! ' 


304  PART  II— CHAP.  XVII.  18—22. 

(18)  The  man   who  lacketh  understanding,   striketh   hands;    he 
maketh  a  pledge  before  his  friend. 

Striking  hands,  is  the  confirming  of  a  contract.  —  He 
maketh  a  pledge,  viz.,  to  some  third  person,  in  the  presence 
of  his  friend,  who  can  bear  testimony  to  it,  and  therefore 
make  it  binding.  The  last  clause  is  elliptical,  viz.,  he  who 
makes  such  a  pledge  [wants  understanding]. 

(19)  A  lover  of  sin  is  a  lover  of   strife  ;  he  who  maketh  his  gate 
lofty,  seeketh  destruction. 

The  man  of  strife  loves  sin  ;  the  man  of  pride,  who  erects 
lofty  structures,  is  preparing  for  ruin,  for  "  pride  will  have 
a  fall." 

(20)  The  perverse  of  heart  shall  not  find  favor:  and  he  who  is 
turned  hither  and  thither  with  his  tongue,  shall  fall  into  mischief. 

7;ari3 ,  (Part.)  is  rendered  in  conformity  with  the  primary 
meaning  of  ^Sfn ,  to  turn.  The  meaning  is,  that  the  tongue 
now  says  this,  and  then  that,  so  that  it  is  continually  turning 
and  winding  in  its  course.  Mischief  usually  and  naturally 
ensues. 

(21)  Whoever  hegetteth   a  fool,  it   is  a  trouble  to  him;  and  the 
father  of  a  fool  will  not  rejoice. 

See  the  antithesis  to  this  in  15 :  20,  and  comp.  18  :  13. — 
Witt  not  rejoice,  =will  have  reason  to  mourn;  (a  form  of 
speech  which  the  rhetoricians  name  meiosis,  i.  e.  ju«tW<£, 
diminution,  where  less  is  said  than  is  meant). 

(22)  A  glad  heart  will  do  the  body  good  ;  but  a  mind  afflicted  will 
dry  up  the  bone. 

ntia  is  found  only  here,  and  seems  to  be  a  doubtful  word, 
as  to  its  meaning.  In  Hos.  5:13,  the  verb  evidently  means 
loosening  or  taking  off  a  bandage.  On  this  account,  sanatio 
is  given  here  by  Ges.  and  others,  as  the  meaning  of  the  noun. 
But  the  Chald.  and  Syr.  translate  the  word  by  body;  to 


PART  II— CHAP.  XVII.  23—27.  305 

confirm  whicli,  we  may  appeal  to  the  kindred  words,  n^a  and 
SiJ'ia ,  body.  This  makes  a  more  congruous  sense ;  for  body 
then  corresponds  to  fi'ia ,  bone,  in  the  other  clause  ;  whicli 
last  is  only  a  tropical  appellation  of  corpus.  Sept.  svexTew, 
to  be  in  a  sound  bodily  state.  —  To  dry  up  the  bone,  is  to  deprive 
it  of  all  moisture  and  succulence,  so  that  it  becomes  like  the 
bones  of  those  who  have  long  been  dead.  The  imagery  is 
very  vivid. 

(23)  A  bribe  is  taken  from  the  bosom  of  the  wicked  man,  in  order 
to  pervert  the  ways  of  judgment. 

Taken  from  the  bosom,  i.  e.  taken  in  a  concealed  or  secret 
way.  And  this  bribe  is  received,  in  order  that  a  wrong 
decision  in  a  court  of  justice  may  be  given. 

(24)  Near  by  an  intelligent  man  is  wisdom;  but  the  eyes  of  a  fool 
are  in  the  ends  of  the  earth. 

Near  by,  'VSBrnx ,  lit.  with  the  face  or  person,  i.  e.  in  close 
connection  with  him.  Wisdom  being  thus  at  hand,  he  can 
always  employ  it  with  readiness.  But  a  fool  is  looking  far 
abroad  for  it,  and  so  he  never  is  able  to  find  and  to  use  it. 

(25)  A  foolish  son  is  a  vexation  to  his  father,  and  a  bitterness  to 
his  mother. 

Comp.  v.  21  above,  and  10  :  1.  —  TS"?,  only  here;  it  is  a 
derivate  of  -nia ,  §  84.  II.  14.  —  iFTib-p ,  fern.  Part,  of  *b* ,  in 
a  suff.  state,  §  93.  D.  a. 

(26)  Moreover,  to  punish  the  righteous  is  not  good;  to  smite  noble 
men  is  beyond  right. 

Is  not  good,  is  a  mere  meiosis,  i.  e.  a  softening  down  of  the 
positive  mode  of  expression,  viz.,  is  bad,  or  is  wicked.  —  So 
in  the  other  clause,  is  beyond  right  =  is  wrong,  by ,  over, 
over  and  above,  i.  e.  beyond.  See  Lex. 

(27)  He  who  keepeth   back  his  words,  understandeth  knowledge; 
and  he  who  is  of  a  cool  spirit,  is  a  man  of  understanding. 

2(5* 


306  PART  II—  CHAP.  XVIII.  1—3. 

A  prudent  restraint  in  speaking,  is  everywhere  commended 
in  this  book.  —  In  the  second  clause,  "ipi  in  the  Kethibh,  is 
changed  in  the  Qeri  into  "ip"1  ,  precious.  The  first  is  altogether 
preferable,  being  more  congruous. 

(28)  Even  a  fool,  keeping  silence,  is  wise  :  and  lie  who  closeth  his 
lips  is  intelligent. 

Is  wise,  i.  e.  is  reputed  or  regarded  as  wise  ;  for,  so  far  as 
this  goes,  he  acts  wisely.  The  second  clause  is  a  more 
general  proposition,  extending  the  remark  to  all  who  act  in 
the  like  way. 

CHAP.  XVIII.  1—24. 

(  1  )  One  who  separateth  himself  will  seek  for  what  he  desireth  ; 
against  all  sound  discretion  will  he  rush  on. 


^nss  ,  Part.  Niph.  in  a  reflexive  sense.  —  ttixfr)  ,  I  have 
translated  what  he  desireth,  more  literally  it  means  desire, 
which  here  means  object  of  desire.  He  who  separates  him 
self  from  a  communion  of  interest  with  others,  and  seeks  only 
his  own  selfish  ends,  such  an  one  will  rush  on,  (like  the  rolling 
on  of  the  current,  see  17  :  14),  in  spite  of  all  prudent  advice 
to  the  contrary.  Sentiment  :  '  Selfishness  is  apt  to  become 
exclusive  and  supreme,  and  to  break  through  all  bounds  to 
gratify  itself.' 

(2)  A  fool  taketh  no  pleasure  in  understanding;   but  truly  in  the 
disclosure  of  his  own  heart. 

See  DX  13  in  Lex.,  but  truly  or  surely,  or  much  more.  Here 
ysrp  comes  in  by  implication,  being  carried  forward  from  the 
preceding  clause.  Thus  we  have  this  meaning  :  but  truly 
[he  will  take  pleasure']  in  the  disclosure,  etc.  That  is,  since 
his  own  heart  is  foolish,  he  will  take  pleasure  in  manifesting 
his  own  folly. 

(3)  "When  the  wicked  cometh,  then  cometh  also  contempt;    and 
shame  will  be  joined  witli  reproach. 


PART  II—  CHAP.  XVIII.  4-6.  307 

That  is,  wherever  the  wicked  comes,  he  meets  with  con 
tempt  ;  and  shameful  doings  will  be  connected  with  reproach. 
By  implication  it  follows,  that  the  good  and  worthy  are  the 
only  persons  who  can  secure  honorable  regard. 

(4)  Deep  waters  are  the  words  of  a  man's  mouth  ;  a  gushing  stream 
is  the  fountain  of  wisdom. 

The  words,  in  the  first  clause,  are  those  of  a  wise  and  pru 
dent  man.  They  are  like  deep  waters,  because  they  consist 
of  thoughts  not  easily  sounded  to  the  bottom,  and  still  less 
capable  of  exhaustion  ;  see  20  :  5.  Ecc.  7  :  24.  —  The  second 
image  is  still  more  lively  :  A  fountain  of  wisdom  is  a  stream 
gushing  forth,  i.  e.  it  is  like  a  stream,  which,  gushing  forth 
from  the  earth,  is  always  full  and  refreshing.  Or  the  last 
clause  may  be  thus  rendered  :  They  [the  words,  etc.]  are  a 
gushing  stream  —  a  fountain  of  wisdom.  This  method  of 

arrangement  puts  the  two  last  short  clauses  in  apposition. 

i 

(5)  To  take  part  with  the  wicked  is  not  good;  to  turn  aside  the 
righteous  in  judgment  [is  not  good]. 


135  msia  ,  is  used  to  designate  the  acceptance  of  any  person, 
who  offers  presents  or  bribes  ;  lit.  it  means  to  lift  up  the  face; 
and  therefore  it  comes  to  mean  to  show  partiality  for,  to  take 
part  with;  see  Lex.  no.  3.  b.  nxb  is  the  Inf.  of  Xb3,  but 
instead  of  the  ordinary  and  later  Seghol  fern,  form,  nxiu  ,  it 
takes  (by  usage)  the  form  of  the  older  Segholates,  viz.,  nsto  . 
Most  plainly  the  last  clause  demands  the  supply  of  SlU'X'b, 
carried  forward  from  the  first,  else  the  sense  would  be 
incomplete,  or  even  contradictory. 

(G)  The  lips  of  a  fool  enter  into  strife;  and  his  mouth  calleth  for 
stripes. 

That  is,  his  words  are  mingled  with  the  spirit  of  strife, 
and  he  commits  follies  with  his  mouth,  i.  e.  in  his  words, 
which  deserve  stripes. 


308  PART  H-CHAP.  XVIII.  7—10. 

(7)  The  mouth  of  a  fool  is  destruction  to  him  ;  and  his  lips  are  a 
snare  of  his  life. 

In  other  words:  What  he  says  is  ruinous  to  him,  and 
proves  to  be  a  snare  of  his  life,  i.  e.  his  language  is  that  by 
which  he  comes  into  danger  of  his  life. 

(8)  The  words  of  the  tale-bearer  are  like  sportive  ones;  yet  they 
go  down  into  the  innermost  parts  of  the  body. 

It  is  difficult  to  settle  with  certainty  the  meaning  of 
trsrtbnri .  Schultens,  Ges.,  and  others,  derive  the  meaning 
from  the  corresponding  Arabic  (csib),  which  means,  to 
swallow  greedily.  In  this  way,  they  bring  out  the  meaning 
of  sweet  morsels  or  cakes.  I  prefer  the  explanation  of 
Bertheau,  who  compares  with  it  frbKbrra  in  26 :  18,  which, 
as  the  context  shows,  there  means  sporting.  Compare  irxy 
and  BSS  ,  both  of  the  same  meaning.  This  is  the  more  com 
mended  by  its  greater  congruity,  and  the  antithesis  implied 
in  dirvi,  yet  they,  etc.  That  is,  although  his  words  seem  to 
be  jocose,  or  sportive,  they  are  in  reality  malignant,  and 
they  therefore  inflict  deep  wounds.  Comp.  20 :  27,  30,  for 
the  imagery. 

(9)  Moreover,  he  who  is  slack  in  his  work,  he  is  brother  to  a  prodi 
gal. 

n^nd-2  b?3 ,  lit.  possessor  or  master  of  wasting  =  a  waster, 
i.  e.  a  prodigal;  as  in  the  version.  Comp.  rPrv^a  U^X,  in 
28 :  24.  By  the  phrase  a  brother,  is  meant  one  very  like. 

(10)  The  name  of  Jehovah  is  a  tower  of  strength;  the  righteous 
runneth  into  it,  and  is  protected. 

The  name  of  Jehovah,  is  a  periphrasis  (but  a  very  signifi 
cant  one),  which  designates  Jehovah  himself.  To  call  on  the 
name  of  the  Lord,  is  to  invoke  him  by  calling  his  name. 
The  word  name,  in  such  a  connection,  designates  all  that 
we  include  under  the  appellation  of  the  being  addressed.  -*— 
aa:JS3 ,  lit.  is  elevated.  But  the  elevation  of  a  fort  or  tower, 


PART  II— CHAP.  XVIII.  11—17.  309 

in  ancient  times,  was  that  which  rendered  it  safe  or  inac 
cessible,  so  that  protection  was  the  consequence  of  repairing 
to  it, 

(11)  The  wealth  of  the  rich  is  his  strong  city;  and  like  a  high  wall, 
iu  his  own  conceit. 

The  rich,  instead  of  looking  to  Jehovah  for  protection, 
trust  in  their  riches  —  which  are  a  high  wall,  in  their  own 
imagination,  but  not  so  in  reality.  In  10 :  15,  the  like 
words  are  employed,  but  in  a  different  relation,  and  there 
fore  with  a  different  meaning. 

(12)  Before  destruction,  the  heart  of  man  is  haughty ;  and  before 
honor,  is  humility.     (13)  lie  who  answereth  a  matter  before  lie  hear- 
eth  it,  it  is  folly  to  him,  and  a  shame. 

For  v.  12,  comp.  16  :  18.  15  :  33,  where  the  same  may  be 
found.  V.  13  shows  the  folly  of  a  hasty  anticipative  answer, 
before  the  examination  of  a  question. 

(14)  The  spirit  of  a  man  will  sustain  his  infirmity  ;  but  a  dejected 
spirit  —  who  can  endure  it  ? 

Spirit,  in  the  first  clause,  means  a  firm  and  resolute 
temper  of  mind.  —  A  dejected  spirit  is  a  mind  made  sad. 
Infirmity  relates  to  pains  of  body  ;  a  dejected  spirit  to  a  mind 
sad  and  cast  down.  The  first  can  be  endured,  by  firmness 
and  resolution ;  but  the  last  —  who  can  endure  it,  when 
resolution  for  endurance  is  gone  ?  n=n  is  masc.  in  the  first 
clause,  and  fern,  in  the  second. 

(15)  An  understanding  heart  will  acquire  knowledge  ;  and  the  ear 
of  the  wise  will  seek  after  knowledge.     (16)  The  gift  of  a  man  will 
make  room  for  him  :  and  will  conduct  him  before  the  mighty. 

For  v.  15,  see  15:  14.  —  V.  16  means,  that  the  presents 
which  a  man  may  proffer,  will  make  room  for  his  reception, 
and  bring  him  into  the  presence  of  the  great  or  noble. 

(17)  He  who  is  first  in  his  own  cause  is  righteous  :  then  cometh  his 
neighbor  and  searcheth  him. 


310  PART  11—  CHAP.  XVIII.  18—21. 

Not  with  Sept.  and  Vulg.  :  the  righteous  is  the  first  in  his 
own  cause;  for  then  \ve  should  have  p-HSft  .  —  Is  righteous, 
i.  e.  in  his  own  estimation.  —  XS1  ,  so  the  Kethibh,  and 
rightly,  for  then  *i  is  consequential.  The  Qeri,  X2"1  is  less 
significant.  The  searching  neighbor  shifts  the  asserted  right 
to  the  other  side. 

(18)  The  lot  maketh  strife  to  cease,  and  separateth  between  the 
mighty. 

An  agreement  to  cast  lots,  in  order  to  decide  a  disputed 
matter,  prevents  a  quarrel,  and  separates  those  who  were 
about  to  mingle  in  contest.  This  seems  to  indicate  appro 
bation  of  the  practice  of  casting  lots  in  such  cases. 

(19)  A  brother  is  more  refractory  than  a  strong  city,  and  strifes 
are  like  the  bars  of  a  tower. 

A  brother  who  is  in  a  state  of  strife,  is  meant  in  the  first 
clause.  Such  strifes,  viz.,  those  between  brethren,  are  the 
most  difficult  of  all  to  be  appeased.  The  attempt  to  appease, 
is  like  an  endeavor  to  enter  barred  gates. 

(20)  From  the  fruit  of  a  man's  mouth,  shall  one's  belly  be  satisfied  ; 
[from]  the  produce  of  bis  lips  shall  one  satisfy  himself. 


Lit.  I'SBS  "2bPi  means  what  the  version  has  expressed  ; 
the  real  idea  is,  satisfy  himself,  •jija  being  figuratively  taken 
for  the  whole  man.  —  Produce  of  his  lips,  means  what  his 
lips  utter,  i.  e.  his  words.  If  the  verb  satisfy  is  taken  here 
in  the  good  sense  of  the  word,  then  the  words  fruit  of  the 
mouth,  must  be  regarded  as  meaning  good  fruit.  But  the 
verse  may  be  ironical,  and  the  meaning  then  would  be,  that 
false  or  malignant  words  will  find  an  ample  retribution. 
The  next  verse  will,  perhaps,  help  to  decide  which  of  these 
is  meant. 

(21)  Death  and  life  arc  in  the  power  of  the  tongue;  and  as  to  those 
who  love  it,  each  one  shall  eat  tbe  fruit  thereof. 


PART  II— CHAP.  XVIII.  22—24.  311 

That  is,  a  man  may  speak  what  will  destroy  life,  or  what 
will  preserve  it.  —  irnnx  is  plur.  with  suff.,  denoting  a 
whole  class.  The  suff.  fern,  fi  refers  to  tongue  ;  and  loving 
it  means  expending  one's  care  and  efforts  upon  the  employ 
ment  of  it,  —  i.  e.  the  making  of  it  a  special  object  of  gratifi 
cation. — ^rx"1,  each  one  (d^X  is  implied  as  its  Nom.)  shall 
eat,,  etc.,  §  134.3.  §  143.  4.  This  is  an  example  of  what 
the  grammarians  call  particularizing  or  merismus.  In  fact, 
each  means,  in  such  a  case,  any  one,  or  every  one,  and  there 
fore  all.  —  The  predominant  cast  of  the  verse  is,  that  the 
evil  use  of  the  tongue  comes  more  specially  into  view.  This 
may  incline  the  scale  in  favor  of  the  ironical  meaning  of 
satisfy,  in  the  preceding  verse.  —  As  to  n^is ,  the  suff.  relates 
to  tongue. 

(22)  He  who  findeth  a  wife,  findeth  a  good  thing;  and  obtaineth 
favor  from  Jehovah. 

Of  course  a  good  wife  is  meant.  This  is  a  blessing  which 
God  gives;  see  19:  14.  31:  10. 

(23)  The  poor  speaketh  in  a  supplicating  manner;  and  the  rich 
answercth  rough!}'. 

Such  is  the  usual  fact ;  specially  is  the  first  part  of  the 
verse  usually  true,  because  the  necessities  of  the  poor  force 
them  to  beg.  The  second  also  is  by  far  too  often  true.  — 
e^:nn  may  be  rendered  adverbially,  as  above,  or  translated 
by  the  phrase  with  supplications.  And  so  of  ni-t3> . 

(24)  A  man  of  friends  will  show  himself  as  base  ;  but  there  is  a 
friend,  who  sticketh  closer  than  a  brother. 

A  man  of  friends  seems  to  mean:  'a  man  who  professes 
to  regard  everybody  as  his  friend.'  In  so  doing  he  involves 
himself  in  trouble;  for  he  cannot  serve  them  all,  or  be 
intimate  with  all ;  and  then  exceptions  will  be  taken  by 
those  who  are  neglected,  and  they  will  accuse  him  of  base 
desertion.  Our  English  version,  and  many  of  the  critics, 


312  PART  H-CHAP.  XIX.  1—3. 

translate  the  verb  here  by  show  himself  friendly.  But  in 
order  to  do  this,  we  must  derive  the  verb  ssvir.n  from  sn , 
friend.  But  this  last  word  comes  from  the  root  n""i ;  and 
from  such  a  root  we  cannot  obtain  the  Hith.  form  of  the 
text.  It  milst  therefore  come  from  """i ,  and  this  has  the 
meaning  given  above  in  the  version.  Ges.  renders  :  periit, 
which  is  stronger  than  the  verb  will  bear.  As  explained 
above,  the  matter  appears  sufficiently  clear.  The  man  who 
professes  to  regard  every  body  as  a  special  friend,  must 
bring  on  himself  the  imputation  of  false  profession  and  base 
designs.  Yet  there  is  another  and  a  real  kind  of  friend 
ship,  the  opposite  of  this  ;  and  it  sometimes  rises  higher 
than  that  which  even  a  brother  ordinarily  exhibits. 


CHAP.  XIX.  1—29. 

(  1  )  The  poor  man,  who  walketh  in  his  integrity,  is  better  than  he 
who  is  perverse  with  his  lips,  and  also  is  a  fool. 

The  perverse  and  foolish  man,  being  here  contrasted  with 
the  poor  man,  shows  that  the  fool  here  spoken  of  is  supposed 
to  be  rich.  A  rich  fool  of  perverse  lips  is  of  course  inferior, 
in  point  of  character,  to  the  poor  man  who  exhibits  integrity 
of  conduct.  Compare  28  :  6,  which  substitutes  rich  for  fool 
here.  —  aMirn,  and  also  is,  §  119.  2. 


(2)  Moreover,  in  the  soul's  lack  of  knowledge,  there  is  no  good; 
and  he  who  hasteneth  with  his  feet,  goeth  astray. 


a  ,  lit.  in  the  not  knowing  of  the  soul;  the  mean 
ing  of  which  is  given  in  the  version  --  si  a  5<b  is  used  as  in 
the  neuter  impersonal  =  there  is  no  good.  —  Haste  indicafes 
the  lack  of  proper  knowledge  ;  and  this  of  course  is  apt  tc 
lead  astray. 

(3)  The  folly  of  a  man  will  make  his  way  headlong  ;  and  his  heart 
will  fret  against  Jehovah. 


PART  II— CHAP.  XIX.  4—7.  318 

The  ruin  which  the  man  brings  on  himself  by  his  own 
folly,  he  will  angrily  charge  upon  his  Maker.  This  occurs, 
every  day  even  now,  too  often  for  us  to  call  in  question  the 
truthfulness  of  the  proverb. 

(4)  Wealth  will  make  many  friends  ;  but  the  poor  is  separated  from 
4is  friend. 

That  is,  as  wealth  makes  many  professed  friends,  so  pov 
erty  separates  the  poor  man  from  even  his  best  friend,  or,  in 
other  words,  the  poor  man  is  often  neglected  by  those  who 
ought  to  be  his  best  friends. 

(5)  A  false  witness  shall  not  be  guiltless;  and  lie  who  breatheth 
out  lies,  shall  not  escape. 

Not  be  guiltless  =  shall  be  guilty,  (meiosis).  —  Shall  not 
escape  =  shall  be  punished,  (meiosis  again)  ;  for  in  v.  9, 
(exactly  of  the  same  tenor  as  this  verse),  we  have,  as  the 
equivalent  of  the  last  expression,  "nx"1,  shall  perish. 

(6)  Many  pay  court  to  a  prince,  and  every  one  is  a  friend  to  the 
man  of  gifts. 

That  is,  a  prince  becomes  popular,  or  obtains  many 
friends,  by  virtue  of  liberal  gifts.  But  instead  of  yyi ,  the 
ancient  Versions  show  that  they  read  the  text  as  snfjrbs , 
every  bad  man,  viz.,  flatters  the  liberal  giver.  The  sense 
given  in  the  version  seems  to  be  preferable. 

(7)  All  the  brethren  of  the  poor  hate  him  ;  how  much  more  do  his 
friends  withdraw  from  him  ;  seeking  earnestly  for  words  —  they  are 
not. 

brethren  of  the  poor  designates  his  relatives  here.  Even 
they  hate  him,  i.  e.  do  not  love  him  so  as  to  show  him  com 
passion.  If  this  be  so,  still  less  can  be  expected  from  mere 
friends  or  acquaintance.  They  hold  themselves  aloof,  siprn , 
plur.,  because  the  noun  ins'na ,  lit.  his  friendship,  (abstr.  for 
concrete  =  his  friends)  is  a  noun  generic. 
27 


314  PART  II— CHAP.  XIX.  8. 

The  last  clause  is  a  problem.  (1)  It  is  out  of  proportion, 
the  other  verses  of  the  context  being  bi-membral.  (2)  It  is 
very  difficult  to  make  out  any  congruous  meaning  from  it. 
(3)  The  Masorites  bid  us  to  read  1?  (to  him)  instead  of  & 
(not).  If  we  follow  them,  then  we  must  render  the  clause 
thus  :  He  who  hunts  after  words,  to  him  they  are,  i.  e.  he  easily 
finds  them.  But  what  is  this  to  do  with  the  preceding  con- 
'text?  And  what  is  the  kind  of  words  that  he  pursues?  All 
claro-obscure.  Possibly  this  may  be  the  meaning :  '  He 
who  catches  at  mere  words  or  empty  professions  of  friendship, 
will  easily  obtain  them.'  So  Bertheau,  for  substance.  Um- 
breit  proposes  the  following  solution :  '  He  who  earnestly 
seeks  for  the  former  words  of  friendship  and  kindness,  will 
now  find  them  no  more.'  Of  course  he  renders  xb  as  a 
negative.  We  might  venture,  perhaps,  on  another  conject 
ure,  like  to  that  of  Schultens :  '  He  who  seeks  for  former 
friendly  words,  i.  e.  conversation-circles  of  friends,  will  no 
more  find  them.  He  is  deserted,  and  left  in  solitude.'  This 
is  doubtless  significant ;  but  whether  the  text  is  of  the  same 
significance,  may  be  doubted.  A  conversazione  can  hardly 
be  found  in  ai'TCX .  On  the  whole,  I  rather  prefer  Umbreit's 
solution,  because  it  is  most  congruous.  The  Sept.  has  three 
whole  clauses  here,  which  are  omitted  in  the  Hebrew  text ; 
but  they  are  neither  very  congruous  or  significant.  The  facb 
of  such  an  addition,  however,  and  the  superadded  third 
clause  here,  which  does  not  seem  to  match  well  with  the 
other  verses,  raises  a  suspicion  that  something  has  been 
dropped  out  of  the  Hebrew  text.  The  Chaldee  and  Syriac 
are  obscure.  The  Vulg.  has  come  nearest  to  the  present 
text :  Qui  tantum  verbis  sectatur,  nihil  habebit.  All  these 
take  xb  here  as  a  negative ;  and  so,  in  the  version  above. 

(8)  He  who  acquireth  understanding-,  loveth  his  own  soul,  he  who 
watcheth  for  intelligence,  will  find  good. 

Loves  his  own  soul,  i.  e,  does  that  for  it  which  love  would 


PART  II— CHAP.  XIX.  9—14.  315 

prompt  him  to  do.  —  Will  fold  good,  where  xbrsb ,  the  Inf.,  is 
rendered  as  a  definite  mood.  See  on  2 :  2,  in  respect  to  this 
idiom ;  see  also  §  129.  3.  n.  1. 

(9)  A- false  witness  shall  not  be  guiltless,  and  he  who  breatheth 
forth  lies,  shall  perish.  (10)  Luxurious  living  is  not  comely  for  a 
fool ;  much  less  for  a  servant  to  rule  over  princes. 

For  v.  9,  see  above  on  v.  5.  V.  10,  luxury  belongs  to  the 
rich  and  noble  only,  and  not  to  fools.  More  unseemly  still 
is  it,  to  see  servants  lording  it  over  princes.  Comp.  Ecc. 
10:7. 

(11)  The  discretion  of  a  man  will  make  him  slow  to  anger;  and  it 
is  a  glory  to  him  to  pass  over  a  transgression. 

A  discreet  man  will  forbear,  when  provoked.  Such  an 
one  will  deem  it  praiseworthy  to  pass  over  an  insult.  The 
Sermon  on  the  Mount  has  well  commented  on  this  sentiment, 
Matt.  5 :  38—44. 

(12)  Like  the  roaring  of  a  lion  is  the  wrath  of  a  king:  but  as  dew 
on  the  tender  herbage  is  his  good  will. 

The  roaring  of  a  lion  threatens  destruction,  and  the  wrath 
of  a  king  does  the  same.  The  effects  of  his  good  will  are 
described  by  beautiful  imagery,  which  needs  no  explanation. 
Comp.  the  like  in  20 :  2,  and  see  28  : 15.  16 :  14. 

(13)  A  sore  calamity  to  his  father  is  a  foolish  son ;  and  a  continual 
dropping  are  the  contentions  of  a  woman. 

*rp ,  lit.  driving  or  urging  on,  i.  e.  one  drop  urges  on 
another,  and  in  this  way  the  dropping  becomes  continual. 
The  image  is  vivid.  A  continual  dropping  of  water,  e.  g. 
on  one's  head,  becomes,  after  a  time,  a  means  of  the  most 
exquisite  suffering. 

(14)  A  house  and  wealth  are  an  inheritance  from  fathers;  but  a 
discreet  wife  is  from  Jehovah. 


316  PART  II—  CHAP.  XIX.  15—17. 


Comp.  18  :  22.  —  nisx  rfcqs  ,  lit.  an  inheritance  of  fathers, 
might  mean  a  heritage  ivhich  fathers  possessed.  But  as  it 
actually  means  here  one  which  they  convey  to  their  children, 
I  have  framed  the  version  so  as  to  avoid  ambiguity.  —  A 
wife  from  Jehovah  is  a  wife,  the  gift  of  whom  is  a  proof  of 
his  benevolent  regard,  i.  e.  a  good  wife.  But  a  mere  heritage 
may  come  to  a  bad  man,  as  well  as  to  a  good  one. 

(15)  Sloth  causeth  a  deep  sleep  to  fall  on  one;  and  an  idle  person 
must  go  hungry. 


There  is  no  object  expressed  after  the  verb  ^Bn  ,  in  order 
to  show  who  is  affected  by  the  sleep.  The  indefinite  one,  or 
a  man,  is  therefore  implied  ;  which  is  expressed  in  the  ver 
sion.  —  i"!;1^  ttJB3  ,  lit.  deceitful  soul  ;  but  as  soul  in  very  many 
cases  means  person  or  man,  I  have  so  rendered  it  here.  As 
to  ftvsn  ,  it  is  used,  in  this  book,  for  idle,  slothful,  because  it 
is  sloth  which  deceives,  or  disappoints,  the  expectations  of 
the  employer.  The  man  that  is  slothful,  is  of  course  the 
man  who  disappoints  expectations.  See  in  10  :  4.  12  :  24. 
20:  13. 

(16)  He  who  keepeth  the  commandment,  keepeth  his  own  soul; 
but  he  who  disregardeth  his  ways  shall  die. 

The  commandment  is  that  of  Jehovah.  —  jitia  ,  lit.  despis- 
eth,  but  here  in  the  sense  of  disregard,  i.  e.  neglect  to  pay 
any  attention  to  his  conduct.  —  The  Qeri  bids  us  read  n«ra^  , 
shall  die  ;  but  the  Kethibh  exhibits  nn*ii  in  Hophal,  which 
is  stronger  than  the  other  form,  since  it  =  shall  be  put  to 
death.  In  a  gnome,  this  energic  form  is  the  most  probable 
one. 

(17)  He  who  hath  mercy  on  the  poor,  lendeth  to  the  Lord;  and  his 
work  will  he  reward  to  him. 


a  ,  Part.  Hiph.,  makes  a  loan  to,  here  in  the  const,  state, 
§  132.  1.  b,  —  ft»ai,  here  in  its  original  sense,  opus  (either 
good  or  bad),  i.  e.  anything  done.  —  The  ft  only  serves  to 


PART  II—  CHAP.  XIX.  18—21.  317 

designate  with  intensity  the  person  who  will  be  rewarded.  — 
The  Nom.  to  tibizp.  is  of  course  Jehovah.  Seghol  here,  because 
of  the  Maqqeph. 

(18)  Chasten  thy  son,  because  there  is  hope  ;  but  indulge  not  thy 
desire  to  slay  him. 

A  saying  adapted  to  angry  and  passionate  fathers,  who 
may  be  in  danger  of  wreaking  vengeance  on  an  offending 
child.  Sentiment  :  '  Merely  chasten,  and  not  kill  ;  because 
there  is  hope,  specially  of  a  young  person,  that  he  may 
reform  under  suitable  chastisement.  Therefore  go  not 
beyond  this,  in  such  a  case.' 

(19)  A  man  of  violent  anger  must  suffer  punishment;  for  if  thou 
shalt  deliver  him,  thou  must  again  repeat  it. 

The  Kethibh,  b^S  ,  makes  no  tolerable  sense,  even  if  we 
take  the  liberty,  (as  some  have  done),  to  make  it  =  Vvto, 
lot,  and  so  point  it  b'nh  .  Plainly,  with  all  the  ancient  Ver 
sions  and  the  Masora  (Qeri),  we  should  read  "Via,  const,  of 
bna  .  The  sense  is  given  in  the  version.  Comp.  as  to  dic 
tion,  Dan.  11:  44.  2  Kings  22  :  13.  —  Another  turn  has  been 
given  to  this  verse  by  the  older  interpreters  :  *  If  thou  shalt 
deliver  him  from  death  (in  reference  to  v.  18),  yet  thou 
must  repeat  thy  chastisement,  in  order  to  restrain  him.' 
This  is  more  tame,  and  does  not  agree  well  with  the  first  part 
of  the  verse.  Meaning  :  *  An  irascible  man  will  not  be  held 
in,  even  by  kindness  in  his  behalf;  he  must  therefore  be 
given  up  to  chastisement.' 

(20)  Hear  counsel,  and  receive  instruction,  that  thou  mayest  be 
wise  in  after-life. 


The  word  r^nx  signifies  lit.  the  latter  part,  the  after  part. 
Meaning  :  <  Get  instruction  and  counsel  when  young,  that 
you  may  be  wise  when  you  grow  old.' 

(21)  Many  are  the  devices  of  a  man's  heart;  but  the  counsel  of 
Jehovah  —  that  shall  stand. 

27* 


318  PART  II— CHAP.  XIX.  22—24. 

Counsel  of  Jehovah  is  Nom.  absolute ;  Kin  resumes  the 
subject  of  the  sentence,  and  specifies  with  emphasis.  So  in 
the  version. 

(22)  The  desire  of  a  man  is  his  kindness  ;  and  better  is  a  poor  man 
than  a  liar. 

To  wish  well,  or  to  desire  one's  good,  is  a  proof  of  kindness, 
in  cases  where  only  the  wish  can  be  indulged.  We  have  a 
like  proverb :  "  One  must  take  the  will  for  the  deed."  —  A 
poor  man  who  wishes  well,  but  needs  kindness  or  charity,  is 
better  than  a  man  who  can  show  it  and  promises  to  show  it, 
but  still  falsifies  his  promise. 

(23)  The  fear  of  Jehovah  is  unto  life;  he  shall  abide  satisfied — he 
shall  not  be  visited  by  evil. 

Jehovah,  who  gives  life  to  those  who  fear  him,  will  cause 
them  to  possess  an  abundance  of  what  they  need,  and  to 
remain  unharmed  by  evil.  —  The  tropical  sense  of  "pb^  is,  to 
abide,  permanere ;  which  meets  the  demand  of  the  present 
case.  —  3>5b  =  satisfied,  i.  e.  supplied  with  all  that  one 
needs.  —  s^,  second  Ace.  retained  by  the  passive  which 
precedes  it,  §  140.  1. 

(24)  The  sluggard  hidcth  his  hand  in  the  dish  ;  even  to  his  mouth 
he  will  not  return  it. 

This  refers  to  the  Oriental  custom  of  eating,  where  knives, 
forks,  and  spoons,  are  dispensed  with,  and  the  guests  help 
themselves  by  dipping  their  hand  into  the  dish,  and  taking 
what  they  like  ;  see  John  13  :  26.  Mark  14 :  20.  Matt.  26  :  3. 
—  Hiding  the  hand  is  plunging  it  into  the  food,  (which  usually 
was,  as  to  a  part,  in  a  semi-liquid  state),  until  it  is  buried  in  it, 
so  that  the  hand  might  come  out  filled  with  food.  But  the 
sluggard,  who  has  thus  filled  his  hand,  will  not  make  effort 
enough  to  bring  it  back  to  his  mouth,  choosing  rather  to  go 
without  the  food,  than  to  make  the  effort  or  exertion  to  feed 
himself.  Lit.  this  need  not  be  urged ;  nor  is  it  said  with 


PART  II— CHAP.  XIX.  25—27.  319 

the  design  of  being  literally  understood.  It  is  a  vivid  and 
powerful,  and  also  sarcastic  reproof  of  the  sluggard,  by 
making  his  sloth  ridiculous.  The  irony  is  plainly  very 
severe  and  cutting,  and  will  be  read  with  satisfaction  by  all 
who  love  to  be  active  and  industrious. 

(25)  Smite  the  scorncr.  and  the  simple  will  become  wary  ;  reprove 
an  intelligent  man,  and  he  will  understand  knowledge. 

Smite  is  here  voluntative ;  lit.  rssn  (Hiph.  Imperf.  of 
fDi)  means :  thou  shall  smite.  But  the  sense  is  as  given  in 
the  version,  viz.,  the  conditional  future  or  Imperative.  — 
rp3ln ,  may  be  a  Hiph.  Inf.  absolute,  used  as  an  Imper.  hor 
tative,  §  128.  4.  b.  c;  although  this  form  is  not  common 
here,  but  one  with  (  )  as  final  vowel,  §  52.  2.  n.  2.  More 
probably  it  is  Imper.  hortative,  which  sometimes  takes  such 
a  form,  §  92.  2.  n.  3,  Ps.  94:  1.  Is.  43 :  8.  Sentiment: 

*  Even  a  simpleton  will  grow  wary  by  seeing  scorners  chas 
tised  ;  much  more  will  the  intelligent  profit  by  reproof.' 

(26)  He   that   doeth   violence   to  his   father,  or  chaseth  away  his 
mother,  is  a  son  who  acteth  shamefully  and  putteth  to  the  blush. 

Strong  precepts  does  the  Old  Testament  everywhere  ex 
hibit  against  cruel  and  severe  treatment  of  parents  by  their 
children.  Even  one  out  of  the  ten  commandments  is  occu 
pied  with  this  subject.  —  Chaseth  away  implies  such  abuse, 
as  causes  the  mother  to  fly  from  her  home. 

(27)  Cease,  mv  son,  to  hear  the  words  of  instruction,  in  order  that 
you  may  wander  from  the  words  of  knowledge. 

Ironically  said,  perhaps.  The  meaning  would  then  seem 
to  be  thus :  '  Cease  from  listening  to  instruction,  and  the 
consequence  will  be,  that  you  will  wander,'  etc.  —  The  sec 
ond  Inf.,  zvis'rb ,  is  equivalent  here  to  an  Imperf. ;  see  911 
2:2,  8.  Or  we  may  resolve  it  thus,  without  irony : 

*  Cease  to  hear  such   instruction  as  leads  to  wander  from 


320  PAKT  II— CHAP.  XX.  1,  2. 

the  words  of  truth.'      This  is  more  simple,  and  therefore 
more  probable. 

(28)  A  vile  witness  scorns  justice  ;  and  the  mouth  of  the  wicked 
will  greedily  swallow  mischief. 

A  vile  witness  will  utter  that  which  will  defeat  justice, 
i.  e.  he  will  give  false  testimony.  The  wicked  greedily  swal- 
loiv  injustice  or  wrong,  as  if  it  were  a  sweet  morsel.  But 
the  implication  of  the  latter  clause  seems  to  be,  that  still, 
what  they  devour  will  become  noisome  or  poisonous  to  the 
system.  In  other  words  :  "flx ,  mischief,  swallowed  down, 
will  be  apt  to  breed  mischief. 

(29)  Judgments  are  prepared  for  scorners,  and  stripes  for  the  back 
of  fools. 

This  verse  seems  to  complete  the  preceding  one.  There, 
we  have  scorners  of  justice ;  and  here  we  have  the  punish 
ment  of  scorners.  They  who  swallow  down  'JJK  ,  must  expect 
the  consequences  here  threatened. 


CHAP.  XX.  1—29. 

(1)  Wine  is  a  scorner,  strong  drink  is  boisterous;  and  everyone 
who  reels  therewith  is  not  wise. 


15113  ,  intoxicating  drink  ;  rarely  employed  alone,  but  gen 
erally  associated  with  wine,  as  here.  —  y^fi  ,  with  the  article, 
§  107.  Rem.  2.  b.  —  Boisterous  is  characteristically  said  of 
most  men  who  are  drunk.  —  The  common  idea,  that  strong 
drink  in  the  Scriptures,  means  something  stronger  than  wine, 
is  destitute  of  any  good  foundation.  Wine  was  the  strongest 
drink  among  the  Hebrews,  if  the  drinks  that  were  drugged 
be  excepted.  None  of  the  Palestine  fruits  yielded  a  juice 
so  intoxicating  as  that  of  the  grape. 

(2)  Like  the  roaring  of  a  lion  is  the  terror  of  a  king  ;  he  who  pro- 
voketh  him  sinneth  against  himself. 


PART  II—  CHAP.  XX.  3,  4.  321 

Lit.  thus  :  A  roaring  as  of  the  lion  is  the  terror,  etc.  Here, 
the  terror  of  a  king  is  that  which  he  inspires  in  others.  Such 
a  dread  of  him  gives  an  apprehension  of  approaching 
danger,  like  that  which  the  roaring  of  the  lion  imparts. 
The  same  in  the  first  clause  of  19:12  above,  with  some 
slight  variation  of  one  particular.  —  'hasrra,  is  a  Part,  in 
Hith.,  which  here  has  an  active  sense,  like  Kal  (§  53.  3), 
and  takes  the  Ace.  pronoun  after  it.  —  rasa  KMi'n,  one  is 
tempted  to  render  :  maketh  himself  a  sinner  ;  but  as  the  verb 
X^n  is  intrans.  we  can  hardly  give  the  active  Part,  a 
Hiphilic  meaning.  Yet  ^xah  (in  8  :  36)  might  justify  this, 
for  the  Ace.  is  there  governed  by  the  word.  At  least  we 
must  make  idsi  to  be  a  secondary  Ace.,  indicating  manner 
of  sinning,  etc.  ;  and  translating  accordingly,  we  have  :  he 
sinneth  as  to  himself.  The  sense  is  good  ;  but  our  idiom 
prefers  the  phraseology  of  the  version  above,  since  it  is 
more  direct. 

(3)  To  dwell  away  from  strife  is  glory  to  a  man  ;  but  every  fool 
will  involve  himself  in  it. 

naia  ,  the  usual  fern.  Inf.  of  aiii;  ,  to  dwell,  (not  a  Seghol. 
ro'r  of  the  root  nn^  ,  to  cease,  which  nowhere  occurs).  The 
meaning  of  the  first  is  more  significant  than  that  of  the 
second  ;  for  it  imports  not  merely  ceasing  from  strife,  but 
habitually  keeping  aloof  from  it.  —  3&arn,  of  the  same 
meaning  for  substance  as  in  17  :  14.  18:1;  the  fool  rolls 
on  impetuously  into  strife,  and  glories  in  being  engaged  in  it. 

(4)  Because  of  winter,  the  sluggard  will  not  plough  ;  and  then  he 
shall  make  inquiry  in  harvest  time,  and  there  is  nothing. 


The  Kethibh  would  read  bx'tr,  in  Piel;  but  the  Qeri 
bids  us  read  bxTZJi..  Either  is  good;  but  the  Qeri  is  the 
more  forcible,  =  and  then  he  shall  inquire.  —  Make  inquiry, 
viz.,  for  produce.  —  -pso  (Qamets  in  pause)  is  absolute,  = 
there  is  not  ;  which  is  energic  here.  For  Qamets  under  1, 
see  §  102.  2.  d. 


322  PART  II— CHAP.  XX.  5—9. 

(5)  Deep  waters  is  a  purpose  in  the  heart  of  a  man ;  but  a  man  of 
intelligence  will  draw  it  out. 

Deep  waters  are  difficult  to  be  sounded.  So  a  man's 
secret  purpose  or  counsel  it  may  be  difficult  to  sound.  Yet 
a  man  of  skill  will  draw  it  out  from  its  depths.  Drawing 
out  is  a  metaphorical  expression  occasioned  by  the  pre 
ceding  image  —  deep  waters. 

(6)  The  mass  of  men  will  proclaim  each  his  own  goodness;  but 
the  trusty  man,  who  can  find  1 

"S'n ,  the  multitude,  the  many,  and  so  the  mass.  When  men 
are  fond  of  boasting  of  their  own  virtues,  it  is  ground  of 
suspicion,  and  increases  the  difficulty  of  finding  those  who 
are  really  trust- worthy.  —  t^s^x ,  lit.  faithfulnesses  =  very 
faithful. 

(7)  He  who  walketh  in  his  integrity  is  a  just  man  ;  blessed  are  his 
children  after  him ! 

Not  every  one  who  boasts  is  to  be  trusted,  but  he  who 
habitually  discloses  (walketh  in)  integrity  of  character,  he  is 
a  true  p"^2 .  —  "^s  again  as  an  exclamation. 

(8)  A  king  sitteth  on  the  throne  of  judgment ;  he  scattereth  by  his 
eyes  all  the  evil. 

Not  simply  a  declaration  of  fact,  (for  there  are  many 
kings  who  do  not  scatter  the  wicked),  but  a  declaration  of 
what  a  king  thus  elevated  ought  to  do.  A  king  who  sits  on 
a  throne  of  true  and  proper  judgment  or  equity,  will  drive 
away  the  wicked  by  keeping  his  eye  on  their  conduct. 

(9)  Who  can  say  :  I  have  purified  my  heart ;  I  have  become  pure 
from  my  sin. 

Purified  as  to  this  or  that  particular  sin,  or  sins  ?  Or, 
purified  from  sinful  desires  and  inclinations  ?  The  latter 
seems  to  be  the  most  significant.  Meaning  :  <  No  one  can 


PART  Il-CHAP.  XX.  10—13.  323 

say,  that  he  is  perfectly  free  from  sinful  propensities.' 
"  There  is  not  a  just  man  on  earth,  that  doeth  good  and 
sinneth  not." 

(10)  A  double  weight  and  a  double  ephah  are,  even  both  of  them, 
on  abomination  of  Jehovah. 

Lit.  stone  and  stone;  where  a  %  as  here,  comes  before  the 
repeated  noun,  it  denotes  severally  or  diversity,  and  not 
plurality,  §  106.  4.  I  have  translated  double,  because  this 
corresponds  to  the  words  repeated,  and  also  indicates  a 
diversity.  Two  stones  of  the  same  weight  would  be  useless  ; 
at  least,  regarded  in  this  way,  the  repetition  would  indicate 
nothing  more  than  mere  plurality  ;  which,  however,  is  not 
here  to  the  purpose.  See  Deut.  25  :  13. 

(11)  Moreover,  by  his  doings  a  child  will  make  himself  known, 
whether  his  work  is  pure  and  whether  upright. 

That  is,  a  child's  doings  will  be  inconsiderate  and  rash, 
and  thus  they  will  show  that  he  is  but  a  child.  His  work 
will  indicate,  however,  whether  he  is  well  or  ill  inclined  ; 
for  early  in  life  is  the  disposition  disclosed. 

(12)  The  ear  which  hearotii,  and  the  eye  which  seeth,  even  both  of 
them  hath  Jehovah  made. 

The  implication  is,  of  course,  that  he  who  made  the  ear 
and  the  eye,  both  hears  and  sees  all  things.  See  the  striking 
passage,  in  Ps.  94  :  9. 

(13)  Love  not  sleep,  lest  thou  become  poor;  open  thine  eyes,  and 
be  satisfied  with  bread. 


tii^Pi,  Niph.  of  a^  to  inherit,  but  here  possessing  &  priva 
tive  meaning,  viz.,  dispossess.  It  is  t:n.  —  Open  thine  eyes, 
that  is,  as  we  say  familiarly  :  Be  wide  awake,  or,  in  other 
words,  be  active  and  diligent.  —  5>ab  is  Imp.  ;  but  being  a 
second  Imp.,  it  denotes  consequence,  §  127.  2.  a.  Lit.  be 
satisfied  with  bread,  but  as  verbs  of  fulness  govern  the  Ace. 


324  PART  II-CnAP.  XX.  14—16. 

of  the  noun  which  indicates  the  wherewith,  the  Heb.  needs 
no  preposition  before  DpJ)  ,  (Qamets  in  pause). 

(14)  Bad!    Had!    saith   the   buyer:    and  then  goeth  away  and 
maketh  his  boast. 

Heb.  lit.  and  going  away  for  himself,  then  he  boasts.  This 
would  hardly  be  facile  English ;  but  in  Hebrew,  a  pronoun 
with  b  prefix  is  not  unfrequent,  specially  after  verbs  of 
motion;  see  r^-rjb,  Gen.  12:1.  Cant.  2:11.  Job  6:19. 
Amos  2  :  13.  Ewald,  §  305.  a.  I  have  therefore  slightly 
changed  the  form  of  the  expression  in  the  version.  —  For 
the  rest ;  every  day  bears  witness  to  such  conduct  on  the 
part  of  purchasers.  They  underrate  the  things  they  wish 
to  purchase,  in  order  to  obtain  them  cheaper. 

(15)  There  is  gold,  and  an  abundance  of  pearls;  but  a  precious 
vessel  are  the  lips  of  knowledge. 

That  is,  gold  and  pearls  are  comparatively  plenty ;  but 
the  lips  of  true  knowledge  are  of  rarer  occurrence.  They 
are  like  a  precious  and  highly  wrought  vessel. —  *i^  is  a 
noun  in  the  Gen.  (=  of  preciousness),  but  it  is  here  used  as 
an  adjective. 

(16)  Take  his  garment,  when  he  has  pledged  himself  to  a  stranger ; 
and  because  of  strangers,  distrain  him. 

The  law  obliged  the  creditor  to  leave  untouched  the 
necessary  clothing  of  a  debtor  ;  but  he  might  take  all  super 
fluous  vestments.  But  in  case  of  taking  these,  there  was  an 
apparent  severity  on  the  part  of  the  creditor.  The  object 
of  our  text  is  to  show,  that  in  a  case  where  a  man  becomes 
surety  for  others,  his  creditor  will  have  to  deal  severely 
with  him,  in  order  to  get  his  dues  ;  and  such  a  man  is  not 
deserving  of  lenity.  —  ta^Da ,  strangers,  is  the  reading  of  the 
Kethibh,  and  a  good  one,  for  it  is  generic.  The  Masorites, 
however,  bid  us  read  JT^sa ,  and  have  so  pointed  the  word. 
This  would  mean  strange  woman,  and  this  same  word  is 


PART  II—  CHAP.  XX.  17—20.  325 

employed  in  27  :  13.     Compare,  however,  6  :  1.     The  sense 
of  this  would  be  good  ;  but  so  is  that  of  the  other  reading. 

—  The  last  clause  is  plainly  elliptical  :  Distrain  (i.  e.  force 
by  seizure)  him  [who  has  pledged  himself]  on  account  of 
strangers.  —  *it   is   like   the   Latin  hostis,  and   means   both 
stranger   and   enemy  ;   "^35   (root   ^D3)  means    a  foreigner. 
Sentiment  :  *  Take  the  utmost  precaution  to  secure  a  debt 
against  a  man,  who  becomes  sponsor  for  every  body  and  any 
body/ 

(17)  Bread  of  deceit  is  sweet  to  a  man:  but  afterwards,  his  mouth 
will  be  filled  with  gravel. 

Bread  obtained  by  fraud  is  eaten  with  a  high  relish  by 
some  men  ;  but  in  the  sequel,  their  mouth  is  filled  with  gravel  ; 

—  no  very  pleasant  thing  either  to  masticate  or  to  swallow. 

is  adverbial  here. 


(18)  Devices   will   be  established   by   counsel;    and  with    skilful 
manaement  make  war. 


iurra  plur.  fem.  Nom.  to  "pari  verb,  sing.,  see  §  143.  3. 
xvfiegviiaiG,  pilotage,  steering,  management.  It 
indicates  here  a  wary  control  ;  and  being  the  plur.  of  inten 
sity,  it  of  course  indicates  skilful  management.  If  this  be 
lacking,  success  cannot  well  be  expected. 

(19)  He  who  goeth  about  as  a  slanderer,  revealeth  secrets;  and 
therefore  associate  not  with  him  who  openeth  his  lips. 


He  who  openeth  his  lips,  is  the  same  as  the  b^  ;  for  he 
speaks  much  and  often.  —  n^nn  ,  Hith.,  lit.  mingle  thyself, 
here  used  as  =.join  thyself,  and  so  it  has  b  after  it  in  nrjbb  . 

(20)  He  who  treateth  with  contempt  his  father  and  his  mother,  his 
lamp  shall  be  quenched  in  the  midst  of  darkness. 


is  the  Kethibh,  and  is  right.     The  Qeri  substitutes 
•jsittSx  for  it,  which  is  a  Syr.  word,  meaning  darkness.     But 
this  is  designated  by  TjuJn  .     Still,  both  words  might  be  used 
28 


326  PART  11-CiiAi*.  XX.  21—23. 

to  heighten  the  intensity.     The  Kethibh,  however,  is  well 
for  "piriK  means  midst,  central  point;  and  hence  (usually) 
the  pupil  of  the  eye,  because  of  its  central  position.  —  The 
meaning  is,  that  his  lamp  will  be  extinguished,  when  he 
needs  it  most,  viz.,  when  he  is  plunged  in  darkness. 

(21)  Wealth  maybe  suddenly  acquired  in  the  beginning,  but  the 
end  thereof  will  not  be  blessed. 

Wealth  suddenly  acquired,  is  usually  acquired  by  unjust 
and  deceitful  dealings.  But  to  make  out  such  a  sense,  we 
must  read  (with  the  Qeri)  nbrpri ,  Pual  Part.  (Ti  for  n). 
The  Kethibh  must  come  from  bnin ,  which  means  to  despise ; 
and  this  will  give  no  tolerable  sense.  Ges.  therefore  proposes 
the  same  root  in  Arabic  as  our  guide,  which  there  means 
to  be  avaricious ;  and  then  he  translates  our  text  by  opes 
avaritia  partae.  But  to  say  nothing  of  the  change  of  mean 
ing  from  he  was  avaricious  (Arabic),  to  wealth  acquired  by 
avarice,  we  may  ask :  How  does  such  an  interpretation  agree 
with  at  the  beginning?  In  the  common  course  of  things, 
avarice  is  a  passion  which  nearly  always  increases  by  time. 
But  in  this  case,  we  are  called  on  to  suppose,  that  the  wealthy 
man  was  avaricious  only  at  the  outset ;  and  this  is  more  than 
we  ought  to  believe,  unless  we  are  forced  to  do  so.  The  other 
meaning  is  much  better,  hastened,  got  hastily.  —  Will  not  be 
blessed,  which  is  usually  verified,  in  regard  to  large  fortunes 
acquired  by  improper  means.  The  heirs  commonly  dissipate 
the  whole,  and  that  within  a  moderate  length  of  time.  God's 
blessing  rests  not  on  such  wealth. 

(22)  Say  not :  I  will  repay  evil;  wait  on  Jehovah,  and  he  will  assist 
thee. 

This  accords  well  with  the  tenor  of  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount.  —  Assist  thee,  ^b  SIIPI  ;  so  we  may  translate,  for  this 
verb  often  means  opem  tulit. 

(23)  An  abomination  of  Jehovah  is  a  double  weight ;  and  balances 


PART  II—  CHAP.  XX.  24—27.  327 

of  deceit  are  not  good.     (24)  From  Jehovah  are  the  steps  of  a  man  ; 
how  then  can  a  man  understand  his  way  ? 

For  v.  23,  see  v.  10  above.  V.  24,  God  guides  the  steps 
of  man,  i.  e.  he  chooses  and  arranges  for  him  his  path.  —  rra 
is  interrogative  here,  and  equivalent  to  a  negative.  —  Meaning  : 
'  Man  cannot  know  or  determine  with  certainty  his  own  way, 
since  all  is  dependent  on  God.' 

(25)  A  rash  utterance  of  consecration  is  a  snare  to  a  man  ;  and  then, 
afterwards,  to  inquire  into  his  vows. 

A  verse  of  some  difficulty.  bs£  ,  if  a  verb  here,  seems  = 
fis'?  ,  to  speak  rashly  or  hastily.  With  Ewald  and  Bertheau, 
I  should  prefer  the  noun  sb^  ;  and  so,  in  the  version,  have  I 
rendered  it.  The  accent  is  here  upon  the  first  syllable  ;  and 
this  is  its  natural  place,  if  the  word  is  a  noun.  But  if  it  be  a 
verb,  how  can  we  account  for  the  accent  on  the  first  syllable  ? 

—  izKp  ,  consecration,  abstr.  for  concrete,  and  so  =  something 
consecrated  or  vowed  to  God.     Here,  ta^a  of  the  next  clause 
shows  the   meaning  to  be  of  such  a  tenor.  —  Sentiment  : 
*  Make  no  rash  vows  ;  keep  those  which  thou  hast  made,  and 
not  reconsider  so  as  to  change  them.'     Comp.  Ecc.  5  :  3  (2) 

—  a  striking  parallel. 

(26)  A  wise  king  scattereth  the  wicked,  and  maketh  the  wheel  to 
turn  upon  them. 


:*l,  Hiph.  of  s*ita,  with  accent  retracted,  and  final  Tseri 
shortened.  —  *^x  ,  wheel  ;  and  in  this  connection,  a  wheel 
employed  to  crush  criminals.  See  the  like  in  2  Sam.  12  :  31. 
1  Chron.  20  :  3.  Amos  1  :  3.  Perhaps  the  imagery  stands 
thus  :  *  As  the  grain  which  is  scattered,  is  rolled  in  ;  so  trans 
gressors  are  scattered  and  crushed  beneath  the  earth.'  As 
we  have  no  direct  intimation  elsewhere  of  punishing  by  the 
wheel,  we  are  left  in  some  doubt  here  as  to  the  modus  in  quo. 

(27)  A  light  of  Jehovah  is  the  soul  of  man;  which  searcheth  his 
innermost  parts. 


328  PART  H-CHAP.  XX.  28—30. 

In  other  words  :  '  A  light  given  by  Jehovah,  is  the  soul, 
etc.'  —  naia?  =  daa  ,  see  Lex.  It  is  the  soul,  which  takes 
cognizance  of  man's  most  secret  thoughts. 

(28)  Mercy  and  truth  will  preserve  the  king  ;  and  his  throne  will  he 
support  by  mercy. 

Such  qualities  as  are  here  mentioned,  will  make  his  throne 
stable  and  secure,  since  they  will  call  forth  the  love  of  the 
people. 

(29)  The  ornament  of  youth  is  their  strength  ;  but  the  glory  of  old 
men  is  their  gray  hairs. 

Each  season  of  life  has  its  appropriate  ornament  and 
excellence.  —  ""irpb  ,  lit.  grayness.  The  version  follows  our 
own  idiom. 

(30)  Wounding  stripes  arc  the  remedy  for  the  base  ;  and  strokes 
of  the  inner  parts  of  the  body. 


Ironically  said,  p'frap),  as  the  Qeri  has  it,  means  the 
rubbing  of  precious  ointments  over  the  body  in  the  way  of 
cleansing  and  decoration.  Tropically,  the  word  may  mean 
remedy,  in  reference  to  the  rubbing  in  of  remedial  ointments. 
The  base  man  requires  a  different  application.  His  ointment 
is  a  covering  over  with  wounding  stripes.  —  Strokes  of  the 
inner  parts,  are,  of  course,  those  which  go  down  deep  into  the 
body.  The  bad  man's  remedial  applications,  then,  are  not 
fragrant  salves  or  ointments,  but  the  application  of  stripes 
over  the  whole  person,  so  severe  that  they  penetrate  deep 
into  the  body. 


PART  II— CHAP.  XXI.  1—4.  329 


CHAP.  XXL  1—31. 

( 1 )  As  rivers  of  water,  the  heart  of  the  king  is  in  the  hand  of  Jeho 
vah  ;  he  will  incline  it  whithersoever  he  pleaseth. 

The  Heb.  omits  as ;  and  so  oftentimes  when  the  comparison 
intended  is  very  obvious.  The  image  of  turning,  etc.,  is 
derived  from  directing  water-sluices,  in  the  irrigation  of  land, 
in  whatever  manner  the  husbandman  wishes.  As  irrigation 
is  practised  for  the  purpose  of  refreshing  and  rendering  fruit 
ful,  so  the  implication  seems  here  to  be,  that  Jehovah  will 
direct  the  heart  of  the  king  to  purposes  of  good.  —  J|2E£ ,  Hiph. 
Imperf.  of  nui ,  with  suffix  it,  viz.,  the  heart. 

(2)  Every  way  of  a  man  is  right  in  his  own  eyes;  but  Jehovah 
pondereth  hearts.     (3)  To   do  justice   and  judgment,  is  chosen  by 
Jehovah  rather  than  sacrifice. 

For  v.  2,  see  16  :  2,  and  comp.  16 :  25.  14  :  2.  V.  3  com 
pares  well  with  the  thorough  spiritual  views  of  Is.  1:  11 — 17. 
Ps.  50 :  7 — 15.  The  b  in  nisr^b ,  coming  after  a  passive,  may 
indicate  the  agent  (§  140.  2.  §  151.  e),  i.  e.  it  is  Jehovah  who 
chooses. 

(4)  Loftiness  of  looks  and  pride  of  heart  —  the  light  of  the  wicked, 
is  sin. 

n*n  and  nrn  are  both  of  the  Inf.  const.,  and  are  here  used 
as  abstracts.  —  High  looks,  every  one  understands.  But  the 
Heb.  srn ,  lit.  means  being  broad  or  wide  =  expansion.  We 
say  :  The  heart  swells  or  dilates  with  pride ;  and  this  is  the 
Hebrew  mode  of  expression.  Hence  the  cause  of  dilation 
(pride),  is  here  designated  by  the  effects  which  it  produces. 
. —  '•a  =  ia  is  properly  light ;  but  this  has  a  tropical  meaning, 
light  being  the  symbol  of  joy.  The  word  light  is  in  apposition 
with  the  preceding  loftiness  and  pride,  and  is  a  further 
description  of  the  state  of  the  wicked.  It  means  here,  their 
joy,  or  that  which  is  matter  of  joy.  So  that  not  only  loftiness 
28* 


330  PART  II—  CHAP.  XXI.  5,  6. 

and  pride  are  here  said  to  be  sin,  but  whatever  is  the  object  of 
the  rejoicing  of  the  wicked,  is  also  reckoned  a  sin  ;  plainly 
because  they  delight  in  sinful  objects.  Light  is  here  chosen  to 
express  this,  because  loftiness  and  pride  beam  forth  from  the 
eye,  thus  expressing  the  joy  which  they  occasion.  Sentiment  : 
'  The  haughtiness  of  sinners,  although  a  matter  of  joy  to  them, 
is  sin  in  the  sight  of  God.'  Possibly  rx^n  may  here  mean 
calamity,  as  it  sometimes  does  (see  Lex.)  ;  and  then  the 
contrast  is  prominent:  'That  in  which  the  wicked  rejoice, 
will  prove  to  be  their  calamity.'  This  makes  a  facile  sense.  — 
I  am  aware  that  the  word  -rix  is  the  one  commonly  employed, 
for  the  tropical  signification  given  above  ;  but  light  and  lamp 
are  often  employed  as  nearly  synonymous  in  poetry. 


(5)  The  plans  of  the  diligent  tend  only  to  abundance;  but  every 
one  who  is  hasty,  is  tending  only  to  poverty. 

The  diligent  labors  constantly,  and  in  a  prudent  manner, 
with  a  well-concerted  plan  ;  but  he  who  urges  on  (yx)  with 
haste  to  acquire  a  fortune,  becomes  poor.  —  I  have  supplied 
the  word  tends,  in  the  version,  because,  in  our  tongue,  the 
manner  of  the  verse  would  appear  too  abrupt,  without  some 
appropriate  supplement.  Before  jrx~b3,  the  noun  m'T^rra 
(from  the  preceding  clause)  may  be  supplied.  This  done, 
it  will  read  thus  :  '  The  thoughts  of  the  diligent  tend  only 
to  abundance  ;  but  [the  thoughts]  of  every  one  who  is  hasty, 
tend  only  to  poverty.'  Comp.  28  :  20.  20  :  21. 

(6)  By  a  lying  tongue  is  thei-e  a  winning  of  treasures;  a  fleeting 
breath,  are  they  who  seek  death. 

bsb  ,  not  only  work,  but  the  reward  of  it,  viz.,  the  winning, 
the  revenue.  —  v)^3  ,  chased,  dispelled,  referring  to  the  manner 
in  which  one  breath  succeeds  another  ;  consequently,  fleeting. 
—  rvra-iiajsaB  ,  usually  translated  as  a  Gen.,  viz.,  of  those 
who  seek  death.  But  if  this  were  the  meaning,  then  ffna 
could  not  stand  between  the  const,  noun  and  the  Gen.  which 


PART  II—  CHAP.  XXI.  7,  8,  331 

follows  it.  Grammar  demands,  therefore,  another  solution. 
Rashi  read,  in  his  exemplar,  ^lapiE  ,  snares  ;  and  this  Ewald 
and  Bertheau  prefer.  The  objections  are,  (a)  This  word 
stands  in  no  known  text,  (b)  In  this  way,  it  is  in  apposi 
tion  with  bnn  ,  and  certainly  an  unexpected  epexegesis  of  it. 
The  breath  chased  away,  would  hardly  match  well  with 
deadly  snares,  which  are  laid  down  and  fastened  in  their  place. 
More  simple  seems  to  me  the  version  which  I  have  given 
above  ;  not  however  very  confidently,  for  the  passage  is 
obscure.  I  understand  the  sentiment  to  be,  that  *  they  who 
use  a  lying  tongue  in  order  to  acquire  riches,  are  such  as 
seek  their  own  death,  for  they  shall  be  as  a  fleeting  breath, 
i.  e.  suddenly  pass  away.'  The  particle  of  comparison  is 
indeed  omitted  ;  but  this  is  a  matter  of  very  frequent  occur 
rence.  Those  who  seek  death  is  fully  explained  by  8:36. 
17:  19  ;  on  which  see  the  remarks.  The  meaning  is,  that  they 
act  like  men  bent  upon  their  own  destruction.  The  two 
clauses  of  the  verse  do  not  directly  correspond,  in  the  way 
either  of  antithesis  or  of  parallelism  ;  but  there  is  a  remoter 
correspondence,  the  first  clause  showing  the  evil  committed, 
the  second  the  sudden  and  fatal  consequences  of  it. 

(7)  Destruction  shall  sweep  away  the  wicked;  for  they  refuse  to 
do  justice. 

ifej  has  the  sense  here  given  to  it,  in  Is.  13  :  6.  Job  5  :  22  ; 
and  its  root,  'Trr  ,  often  means  to  destroy.  —  tni':p  ,  Imperf. 
Kal,  of  *na  .  The  i  is  a  mere  fulcrum,  and  is  very  rarely 
written  in  the  Imperf.  of  verbs  $3>,  §  66.  n.  2.  —  D—  is  the 
suffix.  —  si2&w  ,  Piel  with  Tseri,  because  X  cannot  take  a 
Daghesh. 

(8)  He  who  is  altogether  perverted  as  to  his  way,  is  a  guilty  man  ; 
hut  as  to  the  pure,  his  work  is  upright. 


^SsSrt  ,  Pealal  form  from  r^  ,  adj.  in  reg.  with  the  noun 
that  follows,  and  intensive  in  its  meaning,  as  is  exhibited  in 
he  version.  —  *TM  ,  unique,  and  of  an  unusual  form.  It  is 


332  PART  II— CHAP.  XXI.  9—11. 

plainly  an  adjective,  (comp.  ^t  which  follows).  The  Arabic 
gives  us  light  here,  inasmuch  as  the  corresponding  noun 
there  means  crime,  guilt.  The  older  interpreters  re 
ferred  the  word  to  "it ,  stranger ;  but  without  good  reason. 
—  "ftsB  Berth,  refers  to  the  same  meaning  as  in  v.  6,  viz., 
winning,  gain.  But  the  consequences  of  actions  are  not  here 
compared  ;  it  is  the  actions  themselves,  for  these  are  signified 
by  Tff*  in  the  first  clause.  Therefore  work  is  the  proper 
translation. 

(9)  Better  is  it  to  dwell  on  the  pinnacle  of  the  roof,  than  with  a 
woman  of  strife  and  a  house  in  common. 

n|B ,  the  turret  at  the  corner  of  the  roof,  elevated  above 
the  roof,  and  so  the  highest  and  most  exposed  part  of  the 
house.  —  Better  is  such  a  habitation,  exposed  to  tempest  and 
cold,  than  a  house  in  common  with  a  brawling  woman.  — 
*on  rva ,  lit.  a  house  of  association  or  companionship.  Be 
fore  woman  we  may  supply  nn^j ,  and  render  thus :  than 
[dwelling  with]  a  woman  of  strife,  in  one  common  house. 
Comp.  v.  19  below,  where  is  the  same  sentiment,  but  with 
variations  of  the  diction.  Comp.  also  25 :  24. 

(10)  The  soul  of  the  wicked  greedily  desireth  evil ;  his  friend  will 
not  find  compassion  in  his  eyes. 

That  is,  the  wicked  is  so  greedy  for  evil,  that  even  his 
friend  will  not  be  spared  from  being  wronged.  —  fini.X ,  in 
Piel,  and  intensive.  —  "jn^  =  in^n ,  Hoph.  of  "jan .  In  the 
text,  the  si  is  omitted  in  the  writing,  and  of  course  Qibbuts 
vicarious  comes  in  its  place.  Lit.  it  means  :  be  compassion 
ated. 

(11)  By  the  punishment  of  the  scorner,  the  simple  will  become 
wise ;  and  hy  admonition  of  the  wise,  he  will  acquire  knowledge. 

Bertheau :  And  when  the  wise  man  prospers,  he  [the  simple 
one]  will  acquire  knowledge.  Sine  Minerva.  The  contrast 
lies  between  the  different  ways  and  consequences  of  instruc- 


PART  II-CnAP.  XXI.  12—16.  333 

tion.  A  simpleton  learns  only  by  being  impressed  with  a 
fear  of  punishment;  the  wise  man  needs  no  more  than 
admonition. 

(12)  The  Righteous  One  taketh  cognizance  of  the  house  of  the 
wicked  ;  he  will  cast  the  wicked  headlong  into  evil. 

As  what  is  here  said  cannot  be  attributed  to  a  mere 
righteous  man,  so  the  meaning  must  be  as  given  in  the  ver 
sion.  —  C]Voia  ,  to  precipitate,  to  cast  down  headlong  —  a  very 
strong  word. 

(13)  He  who  stoppeth  his  ear  from  the   cry  of  the  poor,  even  he 
shall  cr    aloud,  and  shall  not  be  answered. 


a  ,  emphatic,  even  the  very  same.     What  he  has  done 
to  others,  shall  be  done  to  him,  in  the  way  of  retribution. 

(14)  A  gift  in  secret  averteth  anger;  and  a  bribe  in  the  bosom  — 
strong  indignation. 

The  word  fiB3  appears  only  here.  The  corresponding 
Arabic  (KSn)  means  to  avert  or  divert.  As  this  sense  is  a 
good  one  here,  we  may  accept  it.  —  A  bribe  in  the  bosom  is 
one  clandestinely  given,  as  in  17:  23.  —  Before  the  last  two 
words,  the  verb  of  the  preceding  clause  is  of  course  implied. 

(15)  The  doing  of  justice  shall   be  a  joy  to   the  righteous;  but 
destruction  shall  be  to  the  workers  of  iniquity. 

The  meaning  is,  that  the  righteous  shall  have  joy  and 
peace  because  of  doing  justice  ;  while  the  contrary  is  true 
of  the  wicked.  His  work  brings  destruction. 

(16)  A  man  who  wandcreth  from  the  way  of  discretion,  shall  dwell 
among  the  assembly  of  the  shades. 

Assembly  means  those  who  are  congregated  in  the  world 
of  the  dead.  —  fi^KB'n  means  the  ghosts  or  shades  which  dwell 
there  ;  comp.  2  :  18.  9  :  18.  The  wanderer  from  discretion 
will  speedily  be  with  them,  i.  e.  sudden  death  hangs  over  him. 


334  PART  II—  CHAP.  XXL  17—21. 

(17)  A  poor  man  who  loveth  pleasure,  lie  who  loveth  v;ine  and  oil, 
shall  not  be  rich. 

The  reason  of  this  is  obvious.  He  expends  his  property 
on  his  objects  of  pleasure,  and  therefore  lays  up  nothing. 

(18)  The  wicked  shall  be  a  ransom  for  the  righteous;  and  in  the 
room  of  the  upright  shall  be  the  treacherous. 

That  is,  the  wicked  and  treacherous  shall  bring  on  them 
selves  the  evil  which  they  intended  to  do  to  the  righteous, 
and  thus  their  own  destruction  shall  ransom  the  righteous 
from  the  doom  to  which  they  had  assigned  him;  comp.  11:  8. 

(19)  Better  is  dwelling  in  a   desert-land,  than  [dwelling  with]  a 
brawling  and  morose  woman. 

See  v.  9.  Here  the  diction  only  is  varied  ;  but  still  it  is 
equally  strong.  The  latter  clause  runs  thus  lit.  :  A  woman 
of  strifes  and  of  moroseness.  Here  again,  as  in  v.  9,  Pi5t» 
seems  to  be  implied  before  ridx  . 

(20)  Treasure  to  be  desired  and  oil  are  in  the  habitation  of  the 
wise    but  the  foolish  man  devours  it. 


The  treasure  here  seems  to  be  an  abundance  of  provision, 
for  treasure  here  spoken  of  is  joined  with  oil.  The  word 
extends  to  stores  of  all  kinds,  as  well  as  to  money  laid  up. 
That  is,  the  wise  man  will  secure  ample  provision  for 
his  household;  the  foolish  man,  (six  ^ps?  the  foolish  of 
men,  i.  e.  the  most  foolish},  will  devour  all  he  has,  instead  of 
laying  up  some  part  of  it  in  store.  For  phraseology,  comp. 
15  :  20.  The  suff.  *$-  refers  to  treasure,  since  it  is  in  the 
sing,  number. 

(21)  He  who  pursueth  after  justice  and  mercy,  shall  find  life,  pros 
perity,  and  honor. 

To  find  life,  is  very  significant  ;  but  other  words  are 
joined  with  it,  in  order  to  increase  the  intensity  of  the  bless 
ing  promised.  The  second  n^a  I  have  translated  by  pros- 


PART  II— CHAP.  XXI.  22—26.  335 

perity,  because  this  is  appropriate  to  the  nature  of  the  prom 
ise.  There  is  no  doubt  that  n^7^f  sometimes  means  salus 
=  prosperity ;  and  indeed  it  does  so  in  many  cases ;  see 
Lex.  In  this  way  we  have  a  kind  of  paranomasia  :  *  He 
who  practices  njD'is  (as  a  matter  of  duty),  shall  receive 
«"i£'i:£  (as  a  matter  of  reward).' 

(22)  A  wise  man  scaleth  the  city  of  the  mighty;  and  he  bringeth 
down  its  strong  asylum. 

Comp.  the  striking  passage  in  Ecc.  9  :  13 — 16. —  City  of 
the  mighty,  is  that  which  is  defended  by  valiant  men.  —  Ti^> 
(for  ^n^'j ,  apoc.  Hiph.  of  fcT^)5  with  accent  retracted  and 
shortened  final  vowel,  while  *  is  written  for  •>  .  —  In  irniarra , 
the  n  suff.  should  regularly  have  a  Mappiq  (fn),  being  a  fern, 
suff.  relating  to  "P:?  .  The  Masora  notes  the  anomaly,  but 
does  not  explain  it.  —  First  the  walls  of  the  city  are  scaled  ; 
and  then  comes  the  prostration  of  the  strong  citadel  within, 
the  asylum  of  the  inhabitants  in  a  time  of  danger. 

(23)  He  who  guardetR.  well  his  mouth  and  his  tongue,  keepeth  his 
soul  from  distresses.     (24)  A  proud  man  puffed  up  —  scorner  is  his 
name;  he  acteth  with  the  arrogance  of  pride. 

For  v.  23,  see  13  :  2.  —  The  inflated  proud  man,  well  de 
serves  the  name  of  scorner,  for  he  looks  down  on  others 
with  scorn.  —  So  the  last  clause  :  he  acts,  or  demeans  himself, 
with  haughty  arrogance. 

(25)  The  sluggard's  desire  will  destroy  him  ;  for  his  hands  refuse 
to  work. 

That  is,  the  sluggard's  desire  to  enjoy  slothful  repose  will 
destroy  him ;  for  in  consequence  of  such  an  inclination  his 
hands  refuse  to  labor,  in  order  that  he  might  obtain  some 
thing  for  his  support.  —  "r^sn ,  Hiph.  of  r.-l^a ,  with  a  suffix, 
Gramm.  p.  280,  first  col.  B. 

(26)  Continually  does  he  strongly  desire  ;  but  the  righteous  will 
give,  and  will  not  withhold. 


836  PART  II—  CHAP.  XXI.  27—29. 

The  sluggard  (who  is  here  in  view)  has  a  keen  desire  to 
obtain  possession  of  something,  but  he  cannot  obtain  it.  The 
righteous,  however,  has  laid  up  in  store  the  fruit  of  his 
labors,  so  that  he  can  give,  and  even  be  liberal. 

(27)  The  sacrifice  of  the  wicked  is  an  abomination;  how  much 
more  when  he  brings  it  with  an  evil  design  ! 

The  offering  of  the  wicked  is  in  itself  unacceptable,  be 
cause  he  cherishes  neither  love  nor  reverence  for  God.  But 
when  he  brings  it  for  the  direct  purpose  of  fraud,  it  becomes 
still  more  odious. 

(28)  A  lying  witness  shall  perish ;  but  a  man  who  hearkeneth,  shall 
speak  forever. 

Comp.  19  :  5,  9.  —  Whosoever  hearkcneth,  viz.,  to  wise  and 
good  counsel,  and  so  becomes  instructed  and  steadfast  —  the 
same  may  speak  always,  and  find  confidence  put  in  what  he 
says.  In  Ps.  63 :  7  it  is  said :  "  The  mouth  of  him  that 
speaketh  lies  shall  be  stopped."  The  sincere  listener  to 
divine  commands,  on  the  other  hand,  will  ever  be  at  liberty 
to  speak. 

(29)  A  wicked  man  maketh  up  an  impudent  face  ;  but  as  to  the 
upright  —  he  will  establish  his  ways. 

I  prefer  the  Kethibh  in  the  last  clause,  which  must  be 
pointed  thus :  Ta^n  T^  •  The  Masorites  (in  Qeri)  read : 
I'S^n  1*1^ ,  he  will  understand  his  way.  Either  gives  a  good 
sense ;  but  I  prefer  the  Kethibh  as  most  significant.  The 
first  clause  says,  that  a  wicked  man  will  act  impudently, 
meaning  that  he  will  utter  impudent  and  bitter  language 
without  consideration ;  the  second  (if  we  take  the  Kethibh) 
says,  that  the  upright  man  will  choose  a  stable  and  consid 
erate  course.  The  Qeri,  on  the  other  hand,  would  solve  the 
matter  thus  :  The  impudent  man  acts  without  consideration  ; 
the  upright  one  understands  and  considers  what  he  is  about 
to  utter. 


PART  II—  CHAP.  XXII.  1,  2.  337 

(30)  There  is  no  wisdom  nor  intelligence,  nor  is  there  any  counsel, 
like  to  Jehovah. 

I|j3b  may  mean  against.  But  this  does  not  seem  to  be  the 
design  of  the  verse.  The  writer  means  to  say,  that  com 
pared  with  the  divine  wisdom,  etc.,  there  is  no  other  to  be 
mentioned.  Probably  T.%3  is  to  be  mentally  supplied  before 
Jehovah  ;  for  this  will  make  the  whole  run  smoothly.  Many 
take  iwb  as  =  133?  ,  in  the  view  of.  But  the  other  sense  is 
more  significant. 

(31  )  The  horse  is  prepared  for  the  day  of  battle  ;  but  unto  Jehovah 
belongeth  deliverance. 

All  the  boasted  preparations  of  man  for  victory  in  battle, 
are  vain  without  the  help  of  God,  to  whom  belongeth  victory 
or  deliverance.  This  expands  the  sentiment  of  the  pre 
ceding  verse.  —  "J3^>  Part.  Hoph.  of  "3. 

CHAP.  XXII.  1—16. 

[It  will  be  seen,  that  the  series,  beginning  with  X.,  ends  here  with  v. 
16.  There  is  an  admonition,  in  v.  17,  of  a  transition  to  another  cate 
gory,  viz.,  to  the  WORDS  or  THE  WISE.  This  last,  as  it  appears, 
actually  comprises  several  subordinate  collections  of  Proverbs.  See 
Introduction,  §  7.] 

(1)  A  good  name  is  better  than  much  wealth,  and  kind  favor  than 
silver  and  gold. 

In  Hebrew,  cd  of  itself  sometimes  means  good  name; 
just  as  when  we  say  in  English  :  '  He  has  made  for  himself 
a  name.'  Comp.  Ecc.  7:1.  Job  30  :  8.  —  nrj  ",ri  ,  lit.  means 
good  or  kind  favor. 

(2)  The  rich  and  the  poor  meet  together  :  the  Maker  of  them  all  is 
Jehovah. 


aBS,    Niph.  designating  reciprocal   action,  like    lanbs, 
§  50.  2.  b.     For  the  Qamets  in  a,  see  §  29.  4.  b.     For  senti 
ment,  compare  14:31.  17:5.      Meaning:  'Men,  whether 
29 


338  PART  II—  CHAP.  XXII.  3—6. 

rich  or  poor,  have  in  common  the  same  Creator,  and  stand 
in  the  same  relation  to  him.' 

(3)   The  wary  seeth  the  evil  and  hideth  himself:  but  the  simple 
rush  on,  and  are  punished. 


The  vowels  in  "WD'y]  belong  to  the  Qeri,  "inori.  The 
Kethibh  should  be  pointed  thus  :  IPS*!  ,  which  is  the  prefer 
able  reading,  since  1  is  then  consequential,  as  it  should  be 
here,  and  the  verb  is  reciprocal.  —  Sentiment  :  '  The  wary 
shun  evil  ;  the  unwary  rush  into  it,  and  are  compelled  to 
suffer  the  consequences.' 

(4)  On  account  of  humility  —  the  fear  of  Jehovah  —  are  riches,  and 
honor,  and  long  life. 

The  fear  of  Jehovah,  is  in  apposition  with  humility,  arid  the 
absence  of  the  conjunc.  1  between  them,  is  indicative  of  this, 
for  it  shows  that  not  accession,  but  further  description,  is 
designed.  True  humility  comes  only  with  the  fear  of  God; 
they  are  inseparably  connected  ;  and  such  is  the  view  of  the 
writer,  in  the  passage  before  us. 

(5)  Thorns  —  snares  —  are  in  the  way  of  the  perverse  man  ;  he  who 
regardeth  his  life  will  remove  far  from  them. 

He  keeps  far  away,  who  avoids  the  path  of  the  perverse  ; 
for  in  that  path  he  will  certainly  encounter  them. 

(6)  Train  up  a  child  according  to  his  way;  even  when  he  is  old,  he 
will  not  depart  from  it. 


1"!1!  is  very  significant  here.  It  means  the  bent  of  his 
mind  or  inclinations,  the  capacity  which  he  has  to  pursue 
this  occupation  or  that.  Our  English  version  :  In  the  way 
he  should  go.  Many  a  good  sermon,  and  much  excellent 
advice,  have  been  founded  on  the  text  thus  translated,  and 
one  feels  a  kind  of  regret  to  part  with  a  precept  so  excellent. 
Yet  the  Hebrew  can  be  made  to  mean  no  :.iore,  than  that 
the  child  should  be  educated  or  trained  up  I'.u-  usefulness,  in 


PART  II— CHAP.  XXII.  7,  8.  339 

such  a  way  as  the  bent  of  his  genius  ("S^n,  his  own  way,  or 
the  way  which  he  chooses)  indicates  that  he  ought  to  be 
trained.  In  other  words  :  Caique  suiun.  As  ^"fl  can 
mean  only  the  way  of  the  child,  the  morale  couched  under 
the  phrase  he  should  go,  finds  in  reality  no  proper  place 
here,  although  the  sentiment  in  itself  is  excellent,  and 
agreeable  to  the  tenor  of  the  Scriptures.  An  interpreter's 
business  is  rather  to  inquire  what  is  said,  than  to  conjecture, 
however  ingeniously  or  piously,  what  ought  to  be'  said.  — 
FiSEra ,  with  a  fern.  suff.  relating  to  'rp'ri ,  which  is  here  fem 
inine,  and  is  in  fact  of  the  common  gender.  The  last  clause 
shows  the  strong  hold  education  has  upon  the  young,  when 
it  is  suited  to  their  capacities. 

(7)  The  rich  shall  rule  over  the  poor,  and  the  borrower  shall  be  a 
servant  to  the  lender. 

This  has  no  respect  to  civil  rule,  but  to  predominating 
and  superior  influence.  —  The  lender  has  power  to  reduce 
the  borrower  to  servitude,  in  case  he  delays  to  repay  the 
loan  which  is  due. 

(8)  He  who  soweth  mischief,  shall  reap  calamity;  and  the  rod  of 

his  insolence  shall  perish. 

The  rod  of  his  insolence,  is  the  rod  which  he  has  employed 
in  his  insolent  treatment  of  others.  Or  the  more  usual  inter 
pretation  of  irra:?,  viz.,  his  indignation,  may  be  received; 
in  which  case,  the  rod  is  that  which,  when  angry,  he  em 
ployed  to  chastise  others.  Compare  Is.  14:  6.  —  n^,  con 
sume  away,  perish ;  but  Ges.  (in  Lex.)  :  the  rod  .  .  .  is 
prepared  for  him.  But  nbs ,  to  be  complete,  to  come  to  an 
end,  can  hardly  be  turned  into  the  shape  of  preparing  any 
thing.  The  rod  of  the  insolent  shall  perish,  and  leave  him 
destitute  of  means  to  inflict  farther  injury.  J.  H.  Michaelis 
states  the  sentiment  thus  :  u  tandem  consumetur,  nt  vicissim 
caedatur,"  i.  e.  his  rod  shall  perish,  that  in  his  turn  he  may 


340  PART  II— CHAP.  XXII.  9—11. 

be  scourged.  It  is  doubtful  whether  this  last  clause  is 
implied  here.  —  '^p1? ,  before  Maqqeph,  with  short  o,  and 
a  1  redundant,  being  retained  here,  because  it  was  so  written 
in  the  ground-form  without  the  vowels. 

(9)  He  who  hath  a  kindly  eye  —  he  shall  be  blessed;  for  he  hath 
given  of  his  bread  to  the  poor. 

•p2  sia,  is  said  of  him  who  looks  on  others  (as  we  also 
say)  with  an  eye  of  compassion.  He  will  give  charities,  and 
then  he  will  be  blessed  for  his  beneficence  by  those  who 
receive  it.  So  the  latter  part  of  the  verse  explains  the  first 
clause. 

(10)  Expel  the  scorner  and  strife  will  depart;  yea,  contention  and 
shame  will  cease. 

As  the  scorner  is  the  cause  of  strife,  so  his  departure  will 
make  it  to  cease.  —  "pb^  doubtless  refers  to  the  shameful  and 
reproachful  words  and  doings  which  contention  provokes. 

(11)  He  who  loveth  purity  of  heart —  is  gentle  of  speech,  his  friend 
is  the  king. 

Bertheau  says  of  this  verse,  that  it  is  sehr  schwer,  very  diffi 
cult.  So  it  would  seem,  if  we  look  at  the  diversity  among 
commentators.  Yet  the  sentiment  does  not  appear  to  be 
obscure.  It  runs  thus  :  '  He  that  cherishes  pure  intentions, 
and  uses  gentle  and  decorous  language,  will  be  regarded 
with  a  friendly  eye  by  the  king.'  —  *nn:i  (i  redundant)  in 
the  const,  state,  from  ^sirtB  =  purity,  whether  we  regard  it 
as  a  noun,  or  as  a  neuter  adjective,  which  amounts  to  the 
same  thing.  —  There  is  no  1  before  "jn,  and  it  is  probably 
because  of  apposition  that  it  is  omitted.  The  words  of  the 
apposition,  in  this  case,  however,  are  not  merely  explana 
tory,  but  constitute  an  accession.  The  1  might  be  employed 
here,  but  for  brevity's  sake,  it  can  also  be  omitted.  —  Lips 
=  language.  Michaelis  :  l  Whoever  loves  purity,  grace  [i.  e. 
gracious  or  acceptable]  will  be  his  lips*  and  the  king  will  be 


PART  II— CHAP.  XXII.  12—15.  341 

his  friend'  Not  badly;  but  the  version  above  is  perhaps 
more  significant.  In  it,  gentleness  (abst.)  is  made  =  gentle 
(concrete).  It  is  not  a  certain  consequence,  as  a  matter  of 
course,  that  purity  of  heart  will  make  gracious  lips,  i.  e. 
gentle  and  persuasive  language,  as  the  version  of  Michaelis 
would  seem  to  imply.  These  are  sometimes  separated. 

(12)  The  eyes  of  Jehovah  guard  knowledge  ;  but  he  will  make  the 
words  of  the  treacherous  to  rush  headlong. 

Knowledge  must  here  be  the  abstract  for  concrete  =  the 
knowing,  the  intelligent.  A  comparison  with  the  second 
clause  leads  to  the  idea,  that  it  is  what  the  intelligent  say  or 
teach,  which  will  be  guarded  and  defended;  while  that 
which  is  uttered  by  the  treacherous,  will  be  frustrated  or 
brought  to  ruin. 

(13)  The  sluggard  saith :  There  is   a  lion  in  the  streets;  in  the 
midst  of  the  broad  ways  shall  I  be  slain. 

Meaning :  '  The  sluggard  will  make  all  possible  objections 
to  exertion,  and  even  invent  ridiculous  excuses  for  not 
betaking  himself  to  active  duties.' 

(14)  A   deep   pit   is   the   mouth   of    strange   women;  he   who   is 
abhorred  of  Jehovah  shall  fall  therein. 

The  idea  is,  that  what  the  mouth  of  such  women  utters, 
is  destructive  as  a  deep  pit  to  the  unwary  youth.  —  wst, 
Part.  pass,  in  reg.,  the  abhorred,  or  object  of  indignation.  — 
-?15"; ,  Imperf.  of  ^23 ,  with  short  o,  and  1  redundant  again. 
The  1  belongs  only  to  the  form  of  bis1? ;  and  even  here,  it  is 
no  more  than  a  mere  fulcrum. 

(15)  Tolly  is  bound  up  in  the  heart  of  a  child  ;  the  rod  of  chastise 
ment  Avill  remove  it  from  him. 

A  general  truth,  which  shows  the  extent  of  human  cor 
ruption  —  a  corruption  which  can  be  curbed  only  by  chas 
tisement.  —  The  pronoun  suff.  it  refers  to  folly  ;  him  to  the 

child. 

29* 


342  PART  III— CHAP.  XXII.  17. 

(16)  He  who  oppresscth  the  poor  to  make  increase  for  himself, 
giveth  to  the  rich  —  surely  to  his  own  want. 

Wealth  obtained  by  oppression,  will  in  the  end  bring 
poverty.  God  blesses  not  such  wealth,  and  therefore  it 
cannot  endure.  —  Giveth  to  the  rich,  i.  e.  to  himself,  who  is 
made  rich  by  oppression  ;  and  because  it  is  given  to  such  a 
rich  person,  whose  evil  doings  will  bring  calamity  on  him, 
such  wealth  as  is  thus  acquired,  will  tend  only  to  impover 
ishment  in  the  end. 


PART  III. 

[Thus  endeth  the  SECOND  DIVISION  of  the  book  of  Proverbs,  con 
taining  chaps,  x — xxii.  16.  What  follows  in  Part  III.,  is  miscella 
neous  down  to  chap.  xxv.  It  is  collected  from  different  sources,  and 
might  have  the  title  which  is  proffered  to  us  in  v.  17,  viz.,  THE 
WORDS  OF  THE  WISE.  The  divisions  under  this  category  are  some 
what  peculiar,  and  are  thus  distinguished  :  (a)  22  :  17 — 21,  exhortation 
to  hearken  to  the  words  of  the  wise,  with  reasons  for  so  doing,  and 
with  a  reference  to  what  has  already  been  said,  (b)  22  :  22 — 23  :  11, 
containing  ten  warnings,  mostly  comprised  in  two  verses  for  each, 
(c)  23  :  12 — 24:  2,  ten  more  warnings  of  the  like  form,  (d)  24  :  3— 
22,  consists  of  twenty  verses,  among  which  are  seven  couplets ;  three 
single  verses;  and  three  more  together  as  one,  viz.,  vs.  10 — 12. 
(e)  24  :  23 — 34,  a  small  supplement,  with  a  separate  title,  and  probably 
derived  from  a  different  source.  These  are  not  marked  by  any  special 
ity  of  arrangement.  See  a  more  particular  account  of  these  divisions, 
in  the  Introduction,  §  7.] 


(a)  22:  17— 21.  — (Introduction.) 

(17)  Incline  thine  ear  and  hear  the  WORDS  OF  THE  WISE;  and 
apply  thy  mind  unto  my  knowledge. 

ran ,  apoc.  Imp.  Hiph.  of  n^3 .  —  rodn ,  Hipk  Imperf. 
second  pers.  used  for  the  Imper.  —  My  knowledge,  means 
that  which  I  possess  and  communicate.  This  knowledge  is 


PART  III— CHAP.  XXII.  18—20.  343 

derived  from  the  words  of  the  wise,  and  it  is  worthy  of,  and 
demands,  earnest  attention. 

(18)  For  it  is  comely  when  tliou  dost  keep  them  in  thine  inner 
part ;  [when]  they  are  altogether  fixed  upon  thy  lips. 

Keep  them,  viz.,  the  words  of  the  wise.  —  Thine  inner  part, 
i.  e.  the  innermost  recesses  of  the  mind.  —  Fixed  altogether 
upon  thy  lips,  means  that  the  words  of  the  wise  should  be  so 
thoroughly  considered  and  learned,  that  the  learner  will 
have  them  then  all  as  it  were  upon  his  lips,  that  is,  be 
always  ready  to  speak  of  them,  or  to  recite  them.  We 
express  the  like  idea  by  saying :  Learn  by  heart,  i.  e.  make 
them  quite  familiar.  —  i^rn ,  unitedly,  altogether,  i.  e.  the 
whole  of  them,  each  and  every  one  of  them. 

(19)  That  thy  confidence  may  be  in  Jehovah,  I  have  made  [themj 
known  to  thee,  this  day,  even  to  thee.     (20)  Have  I  not  written  to 
thee  heretofore,  concerning  counsel  and  knowledge  ? 

V.  19,  Even  to  thee,  fins  da,  in  the  same  case  as  5j  the 
suff.  of  the  verb,  and  in  apposition  with  it,  being  a  case  of 
the  pronoun  repeated  for  the  sake  of  intensity ;  see  §  119.  3. 
I  have  translated  to  thee,  in  accordance  with  our  English 
idiom.  Even  to  thee  means,  that  his  present  communication 
is  designed  specially  for  the  person  addressed,  and  not  pri 
marily  for  another. —  To-day  =  now,  that  is,  at  the  time 
when  he  was  writing. — V.  20,  the  Kethibh  reads  diizsbiB, 
which,  in  other  cases,  is  accompanied  by  Visin ,  the  latter 
meaning  yesterday,  and  the  former  lit.  the  day  before  yester 
day.  But  diiabd  is  not  confined  to  this  specific  meaning, 
but  has  also  a  more  general  meaning,  viz,.,  formerly,  in  time 
past,  ante  hac.  That  such  a  sense  is  here  needed,  the  anti 
thesis  in  di*fi  shows.  The  former  writing  probably  means 
the  previous  portions  of  this  book.  In  this  way,  all  is  facile 
and  plain.  But  when,  with  many  others,  we  write  d^bis 
(so  the  Qeri),  and  translate  it  three  times  or  threefold  =  often- 


344  PART  III—  CHAP.  XXII.  21—23. 

times  ;  or  three  things  =  the  Law,  the  Prophets,  and  the 
Hagiography  ;  it  looks  strange  —  the  last  looks  passing 
strange.  Nor  is  it  mended,  by  Deriving  the  word  from 
^itHp'iJ,  third,  which  is  sometimes  equivalent  to  leader  or 
prince,  and  in  this  way  the  plur.  in  our  text  comes  to  mean 
princely  things  [?].  All  these  are  unnecessary,  and  in  fact 
are  incongruous.  —  The  first  verb  rprn^in  ,  rendered  as  Perf., 
means  that  he  has  already  determined  on  the  communication 
to  be  made.  If  the  simple  Present  were  intended  here,  we 
should  have 


(21)  To  make  thec  know  the  truth  of  faithful  words  ;  that  thou 
mightest  make  answer  with  words  which  are  truth,  to  those  who  sent 
thee. 


BX,  in  the  second  clause,  are  the  Ace.  of  instru 
mentality  or  of  manner,  and  are  in  apposition,  as  exhibited 
in  the  version.  —  rvax  is  inserted  merely  in  order  to  define 
and  qualify  the  preceding  word  DI'IEX  .  We  might  render 
it  simply  true,  faithful.  The  version  above  gives  more  ex 
actly  the  shape  of  the  original.  —  ^pnbiub  is  regarded  by 
Berth,  as  plur.  of  excellence,  as  in  ijnx  .  It  seems  to  refer 
to  the  king,  or  to  some  superior,  to  whom  answer  or  report 
is  to  be  made  ;  see  10  :  26. 

[Next  follow,  in  (b),  ten  warnings,  the  major  part  of  which  is  com 
prised  in  two  verses  each.  But  vs.  23  :  9,  and  28,  29,  each  contains 
a  complete  gnome  in  itself;  and  23:  1  —  3  and  6  —  8,  each  comprises 
three  verses  linked  together  by  the  sense.  These  artistic  combina 
tions  are  manifestly  the  effect  of  design  and  arrangement.  One  half 
of  the  ten  consists  of  couplets,  two  are  triplets,  and  three  are  single. 
They  seem  to  be  intermingled  for  the  purpose  of  variety  in  manner.] 

(22)  Rob  not  the  poor,  because  he  is  poor  ;  and  oppress  not  the 
afflicted  in  the  gate  ;  (23)  For  Jehovah  will  plead  their  cause  ;  and  he 
will  despoil  those,  who  rob  them  of  life. 

V.  22,  Because  he  is  poor,  and  therefore  cannot  resort  to 
the  courts  of  justice  for  retribution.  —  In  the  gate,  i.  e.  in  the 


PART  III—  CHAP.  XXII.  24—28.  345 

place  where  courts  are  held,  and  causes  decided.  V.  23,  If 
thou  shalt  oppress,  Jehovah  will  be  their  advocate  and  vin 
dicator.  —  tni"i,  the  plur.  suff.  refers  to  b'n,  but  this  is 
generic,  i.  e.  a  noun  of  multitude.  —  law  ,  Ace.  of  limitation, 
§  116.  3. 

(24)  Associate  not  with  him  who  is  prone  to  anger  ;  and  have  no 
intercourse  with  the  man  who  is  hastily  provoked  ;  (25)  Lest  thou 
learn  his  ways,  and  get  a  snare  for  thy  soul. 

V.  24,  rnrn  ,  apoc.  Hithp.  of  rt:n  ;  the  full  form  would  be 
^7^  •  —  ^  ^55  >  master  of  anger  is  said  of  one  prone  to 
anger.  So  nrcn  ^N;  ,  its  counterpart,  is  very  significant,  lit. 
:  —  a  man  of  indignations,  the  plur.  being  plainly  intensive, 
which  is  virtually  expressed  in  the  version.  —  nisn  J&  ,  is 
rendered  by  Bertheau  :  come  not  [together]  with  the  man,  etc. 
But  N13,  followed  by  with  (as  here),  means:  consuetudinem 
inire  ;  Ges.  Lex.  1.  e.  The  version  is  not  literal,  but  ad 
sensum.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  insert  the  word  together. 
—  tnn^b  ,  thou  take,  obtain,  get.  But  what  is  the  snare  ?  It 
is  the  example  of  passionate  demeanor,  which,  if  copied,  will 
prove  dangerous  to  a  man's  life. 

(26)  Be  not  with  those  who  strike  hands  ;  with  those  who  pledge 
themselves  for  debts  ;  (27)  If  thou  hast  nothing  to  pay,  why  should 
he  take  th  bed  from  under  thee  ? 


Comp.  6  :  1  —  4.  —  nisOBia  ,  tribute,  but  here  debts,  quasi 
tribute  to  the  creditor.  —  Why  should  he  (i.  e.  the  creditor) 
take  thy  bed?  i.  e.  for  debt.  All  but  necessary  clothing  could 
be  taken  for  debt.  We  should  count  a  bed  as  a  part  of  this  ; 
but  in  Palestine,  a  bed  was  merely  a  cushion  or  piece  of 
carpet,  for  the  most  part,  and  it  could  be  replaced  by  other 
substances,  which  would  make  a  comfortable  layer,  in  that 
warm  country. 

(28)  Move  not  back  the  ancient  boundary,  which  thy  fathers  made. 
If  the  literal  sense  be  intended,  then  its  parallel  may  be 


346  PART  III— CHAP.  XXIII.  1—3. 

found  in  Dent.  19:  14.  27 :  17.  But  I  take  the  leading 
sense  to  be  tropical  here  =  '  Change  not  the  ancient  and 
approved  usages  of  the  fathers.'  —  labte ,  ancient  time.  The 
verse  here  makes  a  sense  complete  in  itself,  and  it  needs  no 
supplement.  —  itBn ,  Hiph.  of  Sii» ,  with  shorter  form,  and 
hortative,  §  52.  2.  n.  4. 

(29)  Seest  thou  a  man  dexterous  in  his  work,  he  shall  take  his 
stand  before  kings,  and  not  before  obscure  men. 

A  verse  of  triplex  form ;  which  is  unusual  here.  In 
taxbri,  the  K  is  otiant.  The  word  is  contracted  from 
taxbE ,  by  throwing  the  vowel  of  the  X ,  in  this  last  word, 
back  on  the  preceding  letter.  In  other  words  :  '  The  skil 
fully  industrious,  or  dexterous,  will  become  rich,  so  as  to 
attract  the  notice  and  friendship  of  kings.'  —  t3">3rn  Part, 
adj.  of  the  Pulal  form,  and  intensive.  This  verse  also  is 
complete  in  itself  and  independent. 


CHAP.  XXIII.  1—10. 

(1)  When  thou  sittcst  down  to  dine  with  a  ruler,  consider  well  what 
is  before  thee;  (2)  For  thou  wilt  put  a  knife  to  thy  throat,  if  thou 
hast  a  keen  appetite.  (3)  Do  not  crave  his  choice  viands,  for  they 
will  be  bread  of  deceit. 

V.  1,  "pin  "ps,  §  128.3.  Umbreit  renders  *\vx,  whom, 
i.  e.  consider  that  you  are  before  a  superior  —  a  possible 
sense,  but  not  the  most  appropriate.  —  V.  2,  For  thou  wilt 
put  a  knife  to  thy  throat,  etc.,  that  is,  thou  wilt  incur  great 
danger,  etc.  The  ground  of  danger  is  disclosed,  which  is, 
that  the  individual  who  has  a  keen  appetite,  will  not  be 
likely  to  restrain  it.  '££3  bs'2 ,  possessor  of  appetite,  indi 
cates  such  an  individual.  The  danger  from  a  keen  appetite, 
with  attractive  viands  set  before  it,  is  obvious.  A  man  will 
almost  of  course  feed  gluttonously ;  and  so  doing,  he  will 


PART  111—  CHAP.  XXIII.  4—8.  347 

degrade  himself,  for  he  will  appear  like  a  starveling,  in  the 
eyes  of  the  ruler. 

V.  3,  ixrri  ,  apoc.  Hithp.  of  riix  ,  the  ix-  at  the  end  is  an 
unusual  form,  employed  instead  of  ix-  ,  the  latter  conform 
ing  to  rule,  §  74.  n.  9,  —  Kttv  \,for  it  —  what  ?  The  preced 
ing  noun  is  plural,  and  the  anomaly  seems  to  have  escaped 
the  commentators.  I  see  no  other  solution,  than  by  supply 
ing  mentally  a  word  which  comprises  the  generic  sense  of 
food;  and  the  context  naturally  supplies  bri<  esca  =  viands. 
—  Bread  of  deceit,  because  the  delicacies  are  so  appetizing 
as  to  mislead  and  deceive.  —  Here  three  verses  are  closely 
connected,  in  one  admonition. 

(4)  Do  not  weary  thyself  in  order  to  become  rich  ;  cease  from  thine 
own  understanding.  (5)  AVilt  thou  suffer  thine  eyes  to  fly  toward 
it  ?  It  is  indeed  no  more  ;  for  it  will  surely  make  to  itself  wings,  and 
like  an  eagle  fly  away  toward  heaven. 

V.  4,  Cease  from  reliance  on  thine  own  sagacity  ;  for  it 
cannot  secure  the  object  in  view.  —  V.  5,  in  rjisrti  the  Ji  is 
interrogative  ;  and  the  verb,  in  conformity  to  the  Qeri, 
should  be  written  ~"C'n,  in  Hiph.  —  Wilt  thou  suffer  thine 
eyes  to  fly  to  it  ?  viz.,  riches,  TI>'  implied,  or  the  "i^Sft  of  v. 
4  ;  and  to  fly  to  it,  means,  to  look  at  it  eagerly  and  often,  with 
animated  or  swfft  glances,  —  For  lil  !~!b2,  see  §  128.  3.  — 
-rras  ,  without  the  article  ;  which  more  usually  stands  after 
3.  —  Fto^  ,  Bertheau  converts  into  Cps1],  =  and  a  bird;  but 
the  Qeri  is  better,  viz.,  r^  ,  will  fly.  His  method  of  con 
struction  leaves  the  clause  destitute  of  any  verb  of  motion, 
which  should  precede  E^'i'n  ,  i.  e.  toward  heaven.  The 
word  D^BiSft  is  here  used  adverbially,  as  designating  place. 


(6)  Eat  not  the  bread  of  him  that  hath  an  evil  eye;  aud  desire  not 
his  choice  viands;  (7)  For  as  he  thinketh  in  his  heart,  so  is  he;  eat 
and  drink,  saith  he  to  thee,  but  his  heart  it  not  with  thee.  (8)  Thy 
morsel  which  thou  hast  ea^en  —  thou  shalt  vomit  it  up,  and  then  thou 
shalt  lose  thy  sweet  words. 


348  PART  III— CHAP.  XXIIL  9— 1L 

V.  6,  l^S1  S'n ,  lit.  evil  of  eye,  i.  e.  one  who  has  a  malignant 
design  in  view.  —  ixriFi ,  as  in  v.  3  above.  —  V.  7,  ^15123 ,  not 
elsewhere  in  Heb.  as  a  verb,  which  has  occasioned  some 
trouble  among  critics.  The  Sept.  read  "is-to ,  hair  ;  the  Chald. 
1515 ,  yafe ;  and  others  have  given  other  meanings,  none  of 
which  suit  the  passage.  The  meaning  given  above  is 
vouched  for  by  the  Chald.  "isd ,  to  think.  Sentiment :  '  The 
true  character  of  the  host  is  indicated,  not  by  his  language, 
which  is  all  comity,  but  by  his  designs.  —  V.  8,  fisSoptn , 
Hiph.  of  xip,  with  a  suff.  fern,  relating  to  ^fi5 ,  which  is  fern. 
—  WTj3i ,  Piel  of  r.hia ,  with  n  radical  written  by  Daghesh 
in  the  suff.  formative  n .  —  The  sweet  words  are  those,  which 
invited  and  which  caress  the  guest  at  the  feast.  They  are 
lost  to  the  guest,  since  he  vomits  up  his  food,  through  dis 
gust,  and  loses  all  pleasure  in  the  entertainment.  Senti 
ment  :  '  Beware  of  flattering  and  deceitful  men,  who  show 
you  special  civility  only  to  mislead  you,  and  to  put  you  off 
your  guard.  Their  courtesies  will  be  loathed,  when  their 
real  design  comes  to  be  known.'  —  Here  are  three  connected 
verses  again. 

(9)  Speak  not  in  the  ears  of  a  fool,  for  he  will  despise  the  wisdom 
of  thy  words. 

That  is,  waste  not  your  time  in  addressing  him,  who 
despises  all  you  have  to  say.  "  Cast  not  your  pearls  before 
swine." 

(10)  Bemove  not  the  ancient  boundary;  nor  go  into  the  fields  of 
orphans ;  ( 1 1 )  For  their  Redeemer  is  mighty ;    he  will  plead  their 
cause  with  thee. 

V.  10,  Take  not  possession  of  the  orphan's  field  by  en 
larging  the  bounds  of  thine  own,  so  as  to  encroach  upon 
him.  Think  not  that  he  has  no  vindicator ;  for  an  Almighty 
One  will  plead  his  cause.  —  With  thee,  i.  e.  in  contest  with 
thee.  —  Here  again  is  the  couplet,  i.  e.  two  connected  verses  ; 
and  this  completes  the  first  series  of  ten  admonitions, 


PART  III— CHAP.  XXIII.  12—18.  349 


(c)    Ten  more  admonitions,  of  unequal  length,  23  :  12 — 24 :  2. 

(12)  Apply  thy  heart  to  instruction,  and  thine  ear  to  the  words  of 
knowledge. 

This  is  merely  an  exhortation  to  attend  diligently  to  the 
instruction  which  he  is  about  to  communicate,  and  does  not 
belong  properly  to  the  ten  admonitions.  —  "iDlsb ,  with  the 
article,  because  the  specific  instruction  of  the  teacher  who 
warns,  is  here  meant. 

(13)  Withhold  not  chastisement  from  the  child,  for  shouldest  thou 
smite  him  with  the  rod,  he  will  not  die.     (14)  Do   thou  smite  him 
with  the  rod,  and  thou  shalt  deliver  his  soul  from  the  world  beneath. 

The  child,  with  the  article,  which  refers  .to  the  child  of  the 
person  addressed ;  and  so  with  the  rod,  i.  e.  the  appropriate 
rod  of  a  teacher.  —  "now  has  the  sense  of  chastisement  here, 
as  the  sequel  shows  ;  in  v.  12,  the  meaning  is  different.  — 
133n ,  2d  pers.  Imperf.  Hiph.  of  nsa ,  with  a  suffix.  —  Deliver 
his  soul,  etc.,  i.  e.  save  him  (by  amending  his  life)  from 
sudden  and  unexpected  death.  —  (  Two  verses  in  admonition 
first.) 

(15)  My  son,  if  thy  heart  is  wise,  my  heart  will  be  glad,  even  mine. 
(16)  And  my  reins  shall  exult,  when  thy  lips  shall  utter  things 
upright. 

•qx  ca,  a  repetition  of  the  suff.  *-  in  *sb ,  see  §  119.  3, 
and  comp.  Prov.  22  :  19.  —  Reins,  is  only  a  variation  of  the 
diction,  the  meaning  being  equivalent  to  that  of  heart.  — 
Things  upright,  can  be  spoken  only  by  the  truly  wise.  — 
(Admon.  2,  in  two  verses.) 

(17)  Let  not  thy  heart  envy  sinners  ;  much  rather,  be  in  the  fear 
of  Jehovah  continually.  (18)  For  if  there  is  a  hereafter,  thine  expec 
tation  shall  not  be  cut  off. 

Umbreit  renders  iXSiff}  by  being  zealous  for  ;  but  this  would 
demand  \>  after  it,  while  here  we  have  a ,  which  gives  the 

30 


S50  PART  III— CHAP.  XXIII.  19—22. 

verb  the  sense  disclosed  in  the  version  ;  see  in  3  :  31.  24: 
19.  —  The  ex  13,  in  v.  17,  there  meaning  much  rather,  differs 
from  the  same  in  v.  18,  where  ^3  is  causal,  and  CK  means  if 
conditional,  not  dubitative.  Suppose  we  say:  'If  God 
lives,  we  will  do  so  and  so,'  we  mean  not  to  express  a  doubt 
of  his  existence,  but  a  conditionally  which  we  regard  as  a 
certainty.  So  here,  if  there  is  a  hereafter,  implies  that  the 
writer  regards  it  as  certain  that  there  is  one.  —  But  what  is 
n-nn.x  ?  A  hereafter  is  the  literal  sense.  But  is  it  the  hour 
of  death?  Or  that  which  comes  after  that  hour?  The  end, 
or  hereafter,  must  at  least  mean  here,  the  end  of  trials  and 
of  sins.  But  this  comes  only  with  the  end  of  life.  The 
hereafter,  then,  seems  to  be  that  of  the  future  world.  If  not, 
what  is  that  hope  which  will  not  be  disappointed  ?  All 
hope  of  stable  peace  and  joy  in  this  world,  is  surely  falla 
cious  ;  but  the  hope  now  in  question  is  not  so ;  see  and 
comp.  24:  14,  20.  —  (Two  verses  again  in  division  3.) 

(19)  Do  thou  hear,  my  son,  and  be  wise,  and  make  thy  heart  go 
onward  in  the  way.  (20)  Be  not  among  those  who  greedily  swallow 
down  wine,  among  those  who  are  prodigal  of  flesh  for  their  gratifica 
tion.  (21)  For  the  drunkard  and  the  glutton  shall  come  to  want ; 
and  slumbering  shall  clothe  with  rags. 

V.  19,  The  way,  with  article,  i.  e.  the  way  which  he  is 
marking  out.  —  V.  20,  ^Vt ,  prodigal,  i.  e.  consuming  large 
quantities.  —  "i~b ,  lit.  for  them,  i.  e.  for  their  own  gratifica 
tion,  Dat.  commodi.  —  c^p ,  second  Ace.  after  'i^abrn ,  §  135. 
3.  a.  The  direct  Ace.  of  the  main  object  is  omitted  in  the 
Hebrew,  but  is  easily  supplied,  viz.,  one,  man.  Our  idiom 
obliges  us  to  supply  a  with,  in  such  cases  of  second  Ace. 
We  may,  however,  imitate  the  Hebrew  here,  by  translating 
thus  :  shall  put  on  rags.  (Three  verses.) 

(22)  Hearken  to  thy  father  who  begat  thee ;  and  despise  not  thj 
mother  when  she  is  old. 

fit ,  who,  a  relative  here,  which  is  unusual ;  see  Lex.  No 
2.  —  Who  begat  thee,  describes  the  relation,  and  implies  the 


PART  III—  CHAP.  XXIII.  23-28.  351 

consequent  obligation  to  hearken.  This  is  implied,  too,  in 
the  case  of  the  mother.  —  Despise  not  is  meiosis,  i.  e.  a  neg 
ative  for  a  positive  precept.  It  means  therefore  the  same 
as,  Pay  her  all  the  deference  which  is  due.  (No.  4,  one.) 

(23)  Buy  the  truth,  and  sell  it  not  ;  wisdom,  and  instruction,  and 
understanding. 

Buy,  means  acquire,  obtain,  nap  .  —  Sell  it  not,  i.  e.  prize 
it  so  highly,  that  no  consideration  will  induce  you  to  part 
with  it.  —  The  last  three  nouns  have  nap  implied  before 
them  ;  and  the  description  thus  becomes  cumulative,  in  order 
to  include  every  species  of  wisdom  and  instruction.  (No.  6, 
one  verse.) 

(24)  The  father  of  the  righteous  will  greatly  rejoice  ;  and  he  who 
begetteth  one  that  is  wise,  shall  verily  have  joy  in  him.     (25)  Thy 
father  and  thy  mother  shall  rejoice  ;  yea,  she  who  bore  thee  shall  have 

joy- 

V.  24,  ^iP  b^j,  is  the  Qeri,  and  also  in  several  Mss.  The 
Kethibh  must  be  pointed  thus  :  blip  bia  .  Both  forms  are 
normal,  that  of  the  Qeri  is  more  common.  The  intensity 
which  this  phraseology  designates,  is  expressed  in  the  ver 
sion.  —  The  nb'h  here  reads  in  the  Qeri,  iVli1];  hence  the 
Sheva  in  the  text,  which  now  stands  without  any  consonant, 
is  designed  for  the  marginal  word.  That  consonant,  ("i),  the  - 
Qeri  supplies  ;  and  rightly.  Hence,  in  the  Qeri,  the  1  be 
fore  n^b";  (now  written  in  the  Kethibh)  is  dropped.  The 
sentiment  of  v.  24  seems  to  be  repeated  in  v.  25,  for  the  sake 
of  emphasis  on  intensity.  (No.  7,  two  verses.) 

(26)  My  son,  give  me  thy  heart,  and  let  thine  eyes  take  pleasure  in 
my  ways.  (27)  For  a  deep  ditch  is  a  harlot  ;  and  the  strange  woman 
a  narrow  pit.  (28)  Yea,  she  like  a  robber  will  lie  in  wait;  and  the 
treacherous  amon  men  will  she  increase. 


V.  26,  the  Kethibh  would  be  pointed  nas^n  = 
from  n^  .    But  the  Qeri  has  naiszn  (from  law),  which  means  : 


352  PART  III-CHAP.  XXIII.  29,  30. 

shall  watch  over,  or  observe.  The  last  is  more  congruous  ; 
the  first  more  intense.  —  V.  27,  a  narrow  pit,  into  which  if 
one  falls,  he  cannot  get  out.  —  V.  28,  cirn  ,  lit.  robbery,  but 
here  the  abstract  is  put  for  the  concrete  =  robber.  Or  we 
may  suppose  that  it  stands  for  ^rn  d">x  .  —  The  treacherous 
will  she  increase,  i.  e.  by  her  wily  arts  of  allurement,  she 
brings  her  wooers  within  her  influence,  and  subjects  them  to 
her  demands  ;  so  that  they  betake  themselves  to  fraud  and 
treachery,  in  order  to  procure  wherewith  to  pay  the  price  of 
their  unlawful  pleasures.  (No.  8,  three  verses.) 

(29)  Who  hath  wo  ?  Who  hath  sorrow  ?  Who  hath  strifes  ?  Who 
hath  solicitude  ?  Who  hath  wounds  without  cause  ?  Who  hath 
blurred  ees  ? 


The  designed  assonance  in  "<ix  and  ^ias  is  very  palpable. 
ills  is  our  exclamation  Oh  !  in  the  way  of  expressing  an 
guish.  —  lins  is  first  poverty  (root  -"iSX,  No.  2),  then  misery 
or  sorrow.  —  rpto  is  deep  and  earnest  thought  or  reflection, 
when  the  mind  is  agitated  ;  and  so,  solicitude.  —  Wounds 
without  cause,  are  such  as  a  man  in  any  way  inflicts  on  him 
self,  by  his  own  folly.  —  Blurred  eyes,  are  the  unfailing  ac 
companiment  of  drunkenness.  rfib^Dr]  ,  lit.  means  obscurity, 
darkness.  —  The  repetition  of  ^xb  ,  to  whom?  gives  energy 
and  vivacity  to  the  questions. 

(30)  Those  who  tarry  long  over  the  wine;  those  who  enter  in  to 
make  trial  of  mingled  drink. 

For  the  first  clause,  comp.  Is.  5:  11,  where  the  same 
expression  occurs.  Long  sessions  for  compotation,  is  the 
usual  custom  of  drunkards.  —  D^Jta  ,  enter  in,  i.  e.  into  the 
house  where  wine  is  kept.  —  "&"?1?  wine  mingled,  viz.,  with 
intoxicating  spices  or  drugs  —  a  common  resort  of  drunk 
ards.  This  is  wholly  different  from  the  mingled  wine  of 
Wisdom  in  9  :  2.  The  mixture  there  is  with  water  or  milk, 
or  with  both  of  them.  —  In  Heb.,  the  ^  is  prefixed  to  both 


PART  III— CHAP.  XXIII.  31—34.  353 

of  the  participles,  in  order  to  answer  the  previous  question, 
*»Bb  ?  But  we  need  not  follow  out  this  as  to  the  form  of 
the  answer,  since  we  have  not  adopted  it  in  translating  the 
questions  ;  for  these  are  rendered  by  :  iv/to  hath  ? 

(31)  Look  not  on  the  wine,  when  it  scenieth  beautifully  red.  when 
it  sparkleth  in  the  cup,  when  it  goeth  down  smoothly. 

son  ,  apoc.  Imperf.  Kal  of  nx"n  ;  see  §  74.  n.  3.  b.  —  t^xn-; , 
shows  itself  as  ruddy.  In  the  version,  an  additional  shade  is 
given  to  the  meaning,  which  seems  here  to  be  indicated  by 
the  verb.  —  Sparkleth,  Heb.  gives  its  eye,  which  tropically 
designates  what  we  call  sparHing.  The  sparkles  resemble 
the  pupils  of  little  eyes.  —  The  Kethibh  0^2 ,  purse,  would 
make  no  tolerable  sense  here.  The  Qeri  D"i3  is  the  true 
reading.  —  Ti'-rjrH »  9oes  along,  i.  e.  goes  down  the  throat.  — 
Smoothly,  lit.  evenly,  i.  e.  with  no  roughnesses ;  Vulg.  Uande. 
The  smoothness  here  spoken  of,  is  highly  appreciated  by 
wine-drinkers,  and  is  called  by  them  mellowness. 

(32)  In  its  sequel,  it  will  bite  like  a  serpent,  and  sting  like  a  viper. 

^tth  (in  pause),  Imperf.  Kal  of  "^  •  In  this  verse,  the 
article  is  twice  omitted  after  the  3  of  comparison ;  which 
seems  to  be  poetic  or  gnomic  license.  The  images  of  the 
sequel  of  drunkenness,  are  vivid  and  impressive. 

(33)  Thine  eyes  shall  see  strange  women  :  and  thy  heart  shall  utter 
perverse  things. 

Intoxicating  drink  excites  to  lust.  Hence  strange  women 
will  be  sought  after.  —  Of  course,  the  heart  of  an  intoxicated 
person  utters  he  knows  not  what,  and  usually  all  manner  of 
perverse  things. 

(34)  And  thou  shalt  be  as  one  who  lieth  down  in  the  midst  of  the 
sea ;  as  one  who  licth  on  the  mast-head. 

The  lying  down,  means  sleeping,  or  endeavoring  to  sleep.  — 
Midst  of  the  sea,  implies  the  midst  of  a  rolling  sea,  which  is 
30* 


354  PART  III— CHAP.  XXIV.  1,  2. 

agitated  by  the  wind.  In  such  a  condition,  a  stupid,  careless 
sleeper  may  easily  be  rolled  overboard.  —  More  exposed  still 
is  he,  if  he  sleep  at  mast-head,  where  the  rocking  or  reeling  is 
much  more  violent.  —  The  imagery  here  is  more  impressive 
and  terrible,  than  that  of  the  preceding  verse. 

(35)  "  They  have  smitten  me,  [saith  he],  but  I  am  not  sick;  they 
have  beaten  me,  and  I  have  not  known  it ;  when  I  shall  wake  up,  I 
will  seek  it  yet  again  ! "' 

Words  put  into  the  mouth  of  the  inebriate.  He  does  not 
apprehend  any  danger.  His  friends  warn  him  of  sickness 
and  blows  and  wounds ;  but  he  derides  them  in  the  language 
of  the  text.  'They  have  smitten  me,  (you  say),  but  I  am 
not  made  sick ;  they  have  beaten  me,  (you  say),  but  I  have 
felt  no  bruises.  No  ;  I  will  not  hear  your  advice  ;  but  as  soon 
as  I  have  slept,  I  will  again  seek  the  cup.' —  This  seems  to 
import,  that  what  he  utters,  is  said  under  the  influence  of 
much  wine ;  for  he  calculates  on  a  sleep,  before  he  shall  be 
able  again  to  seek  his  T^"?  •  What  he  says,  is  in  contempt  or 
ridicule  of  the  admonitions  of  friends  ;  and  the  resolve  to 
seek  the  cup  again,  shows  in  a  striking  manner  the  indomitable 
appetite  of  the  inebriate.  —  rp&i'x  here  simply  makes  the 
sense  of  again,  or  repetition,  being  put  before  another  verb, 
§  139.  3.  1).  —  Tis,  farther,  strengthens  this  assertion,  in 
respect  to  renewing  his  potations.  —  A  vivid  picture  of  the 
dangers  and  progress  of  the  drunkard.  (No.  9  has  seven 
verses.) 


CHAP.  XXIV.  1,  2. 

(1)  Be  not  envious  of  evil  men  ;  desii'e  not  to  be  with  them.     (2) 
For  their  heart  meditateth  violence  :  and  mischief  do  their  lips  speak. 


V.  1,  for  the  first  clause,  comp.  23:  17.  —  ixrfa,  see  on 
23  :  3.     V.  2,  for  mi-n  ,  comp.  15  :  28.    (No.  10,  two  verses.) 


PART  III—  CHAP.  XXIV.  3-7.  355 

(d)   Chap.  XXIV.  3—22. 

[This  division  is  separated  from  the  preceding  one,  by  no  definitive 
mark,  excepting  that  it  begins  anew  the  subject  of  wisdom,  and 
continues  it  more  or  less  directly  through  seven  verses.  The  rest  is 
miscellaneous  ;  but  there  are  here  fewer  of  simple  parallelisms  in  which 
the  sense  is  completed,  than  is  usual  elsewhere  in  this  book  :  see  the 
composite  sentences  in  vs.  ,3  —  9;  11,  12;  13,  14;  15  —  18.  With  v.  23, 
another  addition,  a  new  one,  evidently  commences.] 

(3)  By  wisdom  shall  a  house  be  built  up;  and  by  understanding 
shall  it  be  established.  (4)  And  by  knowledge  shall  the  chambers  be 
filled  —  with  all  wealth  precious  and  pleasant. 

V.  3,  house,  not  the  edifice  merely,  but  its  tenants  also 
included.  Discretion  will  establish  a  family.  —  V.  4,  precious, 
i.  e.  of  great  value.  —  Pleasant,  i.  e.  such  things  as  administer 
to  the  pleasure  of  the  indwellers.  —  "pfi"^?  >  Ace.  after  a  verb 
of  filing,  §  135.3.  b. 

(5)  A  wise  man  is  strong;  and  a  man  of  knowledge  makcth  firm 
his  strength. 


ttea  ,  lit.   in  strength  =  strong.  —  "pax^  ,  renders  firm  or 
robust. 

(6)  For  with  skilful  management  must  thou  make  war  for  thyself; 
and  there  is  discretion  in  much  counsel. 


aritn ,  not  simply  xvfisQVijGig  of  some  kind  or  other,  in 
this  case,  but  in  the  sense  exhibited  in  the  version  ;  comp. 
20:  18.  —  rfc,  Dot.  commodi,  i.  e.  for  thine  own  benefit. — 
ys'n'D'-i  =  many  a  counsellor.  I  have  given  the  substantial 
idea  in  the  version,  and  turned  the  concrete  into  the  abstract, 
in  conformity  to  our  idiom.  —  In  other  words  :  '  Success  in 
war  depends  on  well  digested  plans,  made  by  the  advice  of 
much  counsel. 

(7)  Wisdom  is  very  high  to  a  fool ;  he  openeth  not  his  mouth  in  the 
e-ate. 

i&fn ,  elevations,  plur.  of  intensity.     The  K  is  a  mere 


356  PART  III—  CHAP.  XXIV.  8—11. 


fulcrum;  root  e*n.  —  riYcsn,  see  on  1  :  20.  It  is  here  a 
plur.  abstract,  and  of  course  with  the  meaning  of  a  singular, 
It  also  comprises  an  idea  of  intensity,  quasi  sound  ivisdom. 
Wisdom  being  very  high,  the  fool  cannot  attain  to  it.  — 
Therefore  he  must  not  open  Ms  mouth  in  the  gate,  for  there 
causes  are  tried  and  decided  ;  and,  consequently,  much 
wisdom  is  needed  there. 

(8)  lie  who  contriveth  to  do  evil  —  men   shall  call  him  master- 
schemer. 

ib,  although  it  stands  first,  for  the  sake  of  emphasis,  in 
reality  is  constructed  with  the  verb  of  calling,  which  takes  b 
before  the  person  or  thing  named.  —  The  name  itself  is  in 
the  Ace.  ;  and  so  it  is  here,  as  to  rr.it^-b^s  .  The  exact 
idea  of  this  phrase  is  given  in  the  version,  with  the  excep 
tion,  that  here  m'sara  is  taken  in  the  bad  sense,  so  that  the 
phrase  is  equivalent  to  trickis  h,  crafty.  —  Before  'ix'ij^,  the 
indef.  Nom.  they,  or  men,  is  of  course  to  be  supplied. 

(9)  The  device  of  folly  is  sin  :  and  a  scorner  is  an  abomination  to 
a  man. 

A  fool  devises  something  in  accordance  with  his  own 
views  and  feelings,  and  therefore  something  sinful.  —  In  Q^i<b 
we  have  an  example  of?  after  the  const,  form,  §  114.  1. 

(10)  If  thou  hast  become  relaxed  in  the  day  of  distress,  thy  strength 
is  straitened. 

Relaxation  is  the  opposite  of  strenuous  exertion  ;  and  for 
the  latter,  the  day  of  distress  calls.  In  such  a  state,  viz., 
one  in  which  a  man  feels  but  little  power  to  make  effort  at  a 
time  when  much  is  needed,  that  small  power  is  of  course 
reduced  to  straits.  —  ^  ,  third  Kal  Perf.  from  *nz  . 

(11)  Deliver  thou  those  who  are  drawn  away  to  death  ;  and  those 
who  are  tottering  to  the  slaughter,  O  do  thou  keep  back  ! 

n'Tijsl?  ,  taken  off,  dragged  away.  —  The  death  .  .  .  the  slaugh- 


PART  III-CnAP.  XXIV.  12—14.  357 

ter,  with  the  article  in  Hebrew,  i.  e.  death  by  the  execu 
tioner,  which  is  specific.  —  ex,  here  a  particle  of  wishing; 
like  si  ydo  in  the  New  Test.  I  have  so  translated  it ;  see 
Lex.  as,  C.  3.  This  particle  demands  the  Imperf.  after  it, 
which  accordingly  here  makes  its  appearance.  —  This  refers, 
of  course,  to  an  interference  on  the  part  of  the  humane,  in 
order  to  deliver  those  who  are  unjustly  accused  and  sen 
tenced  to  death. 

(12)  Although  thou  shouldcst  say :  ':  Behold!  we  know  not  this  ;" 
he  that  pondereth  hearts  —  doth  not  he  know  ?    Yea,  he  that  guardeth 
thy  soul,  doth  know  ;  and  he  will  reward  every  man  according  to  his 
work. 

&Mn,  he  above  all,  or  he  knows,  although  there  be  no  other 
one  who  knows,  ijh  "isai. ,  Bertheau  renders  interrogatively. 
But  then  we  have  to  bring  forward  xbti .  This  may  be  done  ; 
but  I  prefer  the  affirmative  sense  as  given  above.  —  He  who 
guards  the  soul,  must  of  course  know  all  the  deeds  of  man. 

(13)  My  son,  cat  thou  honey,  for  it  is  good  ;  and  honey-comb  upon 
thy  palate  is  sweet ;  (14)  So  do  thou  obtain  knowledge  of  wisdom  for 
thy  soul :  if  thou  hast  found  it,  and  there   is  a  hereafter,  then  thine 
expectation  shall  not  be  cut  off'. 

V.  13.  Of  course,  the  literal  sense  of  this,  as  a  command, 
would  not  at  all  comport  with  the  ultimate  design  of  the 
writer.  It  is  merely  the  first  member  of  a  comparison ;  the 
second  of  which  is  introduced  by  *3  ,  so,  in  the  next  verse. 

—  V.  14.  So,  i.  e.  in  like  manner   as   honey  is   good   and 
sweet,  let  a  knowledge  of  wisdom  be  pleasant  and  precious. 

—  nr'n ,  with  H-  paragogic,  instead  of  fr- ,  Imp.  of  rTi  ; 
(which  in  a  few  instances  takes  place,  see  1  Sam.  28 :  15. 
Ps.  30  :  4.  §  48.  3.  remarks).  —And  [if]  there  is  a  hereafter  ; 
see  23  :  18  above,  where  the  same  phrase  occurs,  and  with 
the  same  meaning,  and  also  24 :  20.     Here,   as  there,  the 
apparent  conditionally  is    not   one   of  doubt,  but   a   case 
supposed,  the    reality   of  which  is   taken  for  granted   '  as 
surely  as  there  is  a  hereafter.' 


358  PART  III— CHAP.  XXIV.  15—20. 

(15)  Lie  not  in  wait,  O  wicked  man,  for  the  dwelling  of  the  right 
eous;  destroy  not  his  resting-place;  (16)  For  should  the  righteous 
fall  seven  times,  yet  will  he  rise ;  but  the  wicked  shall  be  made  to 
stumble  upon  evil. 

V.  15.  l^i^i,  lit.  his  layer,  couch,  or  as  in  the  version. 
V.  1C.  fij?i,  Kal  Perf.,  then  will  he  rise,  with  1  consequential. 
As  to  seven  times,  it  of  course  means  a  good  many  times. 
The  sense  here  does  not  point  us  to  moral  lapses,  but  to  mis 
fortunes.  Still,  it  seems  to  be  true  of  moral  lapses  also,  if 
we  may  credit  the  apostle  Paul,  Phil.  1:  6.  Rom.  5  5 — 10. 
8:35—39. 

(17)  When  thine  enemy  falleth,  rejoice  not ;  and  when  he  stumbleth, 
let  not  thy  heart  exult ;  (18)  Lest  Jehovah  should  see,  and  it  should 
be  evil  in  his  eyes  ;  and  he  should  then  turn  away  his  anger  from 
him. 

The  Kethibh  reads  enemies,  plur. ;  the  Qeri,  with  more 
concinnity,  enemy,  sing.  —  ^ai ,  Hiph.  Imperf.  of  V^a .  —  Be 
evil  in  his  eyes,  i.  e.  displeasing  in  his  view.  —  -^m  >  with  1 
consequential,  which  is  expressed  in  the  version.  —  Senti 
ment  :  '  If  evils  come  upon  a  man  who  is  your  enemy,  and 
you  feel  that  he  deserves  them,  do  not  exult  in  his  suffer 
ings.  If  thou  displayest  such  a  temper  of  mind,  the  Lord 
will  rebuke  thee  by  removing  the  cause  of  thine  exultation, 
i.  e.  by  ceasing  to  inflict  chastisement  upon  thine  enemy.' 
A  noble  sentiment,  and  indicative  of  high  moral  views  on 
the  subject  of  kind  feeling  toward  our  fellow-men !  "  Love 
your  enemies." 

(19)  Be  not  enraged  against  evil  doers  ;  be  not  envious  in  respect 
to  the  wicked. 

Comp.  v.  1  —  ^nr.n ,  apoc.  Hith.  of  rnn . 

(20)  For  there  shall  be  no  hereafter  to  the  evil ;  the  lamp  of  the 
wicked  shall  be  quenched. 

That  is,  there   shall  be    no  hereafter  of  reward,  such  as  is 


PART  III-CnAP.  XXIV.  21—23.  359 

described  in  v.  14,  and  in  23  :  18.  The  question  here  is  not 
about  a  future  existence,  but  about  a  future  retribution  or 
reward.  This  is  a  good  reason  why  we  should  not  envy  the 
wicked,  or  be  angry  with  them,  since  they,  in  view  of  their 
doom,  are  objects  of  compassion  rather  than  of  vengeance. 

(21)  My  son,  fear  Jehovah  and   the   King;  with  rcvoltcrs  do  not 
mingle. 


iid  means  those  who  change,  viz.,  their  dutiful  and  loyal 
opinions  and  feelings,  and  make  revolt.  —  In  l  "i  2r.fi  ,  the 
first  Qamets  comes  by  reason  of  Dagh.  being  excluded  from 
the  1  ;  the  second,  because  the  word  is  in  pause. 

(22)  For  their  calamity  shall  suddenly  rise  up  ;  and  the  destruction 
of  them  both,  who  knoweth  ? 

Here  the  idiom  is  very  Hebraistic.  Their  calamity  means 
the  calamity  which  they  (God  and  the  king)  inflict  or  send. 
This  is  made  clear  by  the  latter  clause  :  The  destruction  of 
them  both,  that  is,  the  destruction  which  both  Jehovah  and 
the  king  will  bring  on  the  wicked.  —  This,  who  knoweth  ? 
i.  e.  no  one  can  tell  when  or  how  it  will  come  —  it  will  come 
suddenly  and  unexpectedly,  for  s'n'n  ^  =  cxra  in  the  first 
clause. 

[Tims  end  the  twenty  verses  which  constitute  this  fourth  portion 
of  Part  III.  of  the  book.  Another  addition  is  still  to  be  made,  by 
subjoining  some  other  firings  which  wise  men  have  composed  or  uttered. 
So  the  title  to  the  next,  and  fifth,  portion  of  Part  III.  informs  us. 
This  distinguishes  the  last  portion  from  the  other  four.] 


(e)    Chap.  XXIV.  23—34. 

(23)  TIIKSK  ALSO  AKI;  _OF  THE  wisii:    Partiality  in  judgment  is 
not  good. 

In  DiE^ro ,  we   have,  apparently,  the  so  called  b  auctoris 
—  like  1"^  ^7  •    See  In  trod.  §  7.  —  ai3B— crt .  verb  Hiph. 


360  PART  III—  CHAP.  XXIV.  24-28. 

Inf.  from  "ci  ,  with  Tseri  shortened  because  of  the  Maqqeph, 
lit.  to  consider  persons  or  faces  ;  which  expression  the  Hebrews 
used  to  designate  partiality.  —  ^B/rES  ,  without  the  article 
here,  because  the  sense  is  generic.  —  2rj-?2  might  be  212  aft, 
or  vice  versa.  But  ^2  is  poetic,  and  not  employed  in  prose. 

(24)  He  who  saith  to  the  wicked  :  Thou  art  righteous  ;  the  people 
shall  curse  him,  nations  shall  abhor  him.  (25)  But  to  those  who  ad 
monish,  there  shall  he  pleasure  :  blessings  of  good  shall  come  upon 
them. 


sirn£?  ,  Imperf.  third  plur.  of  2£i  ,  with  suff.,  and  2  for  12  . 
—  V.  25,  blessing  of  good,  i.  e.  the  thanks  and  kind  wishes 
of  those  who  have  been  benefited  by  their  admonitions  ;  or 
it  may  mean  an  excellent  blessing,  i.  e.  a  good  reward. 

(26)  One  will  kiss  the  lips  of  him,  who  ansv,ereth  with  upright 
words. 

This  verse  also  has  a  relation  to  what  is  said  respecting 
the  sentence  given  in  judgment,  v.  1,  seq.  When  the  judge 
speaks  upright  words,  every  one  is  ready,  as  it  were,  to  salute 
him  with  affection  and  respect. 

(27)  Prepare  thy  work  without,  and  get  it  ready  in  thy  field  ;  then 
afterwards  thou  shalt  build  thine  house. 


Y  W2  ,  lit.  in  the  without,  i.  e.  abroad  in  the  field.  — 
with  the  article,  because  it  is  here  a  specific  field.  —  ^"321  , 
with  1  consecutive.  Sentiment  :  '  Prepare,  first  of  all,  for 
your  necessary  sustenance  ;  accommodations  follow.'  —  With 
us,  in  our  climate,  a  house  comes  early  into  the  list  of  our 
necessaries  ;  much  less  so  in  Palestine.  The  proverb  : 
"  First  bread,  then  family,"  applies  well  there. 

(28)  Be  not  a  witness  against  thy  neighbor  without  cause;  for  wilt 
thou  deceive  with  thy  lips  ? 

D|n  may  mean  inconsiderately  or  rasldy  ;  bin   the  version 
gives  a  more  extended  sense.  —  In  rnsisrr    tlse-.   ^  is  an  in- 


PART  III— CHAP.  XXIV.  29-34.  361 

terrogative  ;  which,  however,  nowhere  else  has  a  1  before  it. 
Yet  the  i  plainly  adds  to  the  significance  here,  as  the  version 
shows.  The  question  implies,  that  the  speaker  takes  it  for 
granted,  that  the  witness  in  question  may  have  honest  inten 
tions,  but  needs  caution  as  to  what  he  is  about  to  do.  Wilt 
thou  ?  =  thou  sliali  not,  in  such  a  connection,  and  after  a  pre 
ceding  negative.  In  Greek,  y.ai  often  adds  to  the  intensity 
of  a  brief  question.  So  here. 

(29)  Say  not :  As  he  hath  done  to  me,  so  will  I  do  to  him  ;  I  will 
reward  the  man  according  to  his  work, 

An  admirable  principle,  and  one  which  comports  entirely 
with  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount. 

(30)  I  passed  over  the  field  of  the  sluggard,  and  over  the  vineyard 
of  the  man  who  lacketh  understanding  ;  (31)  And  behold  !  it  had  all 
of  it  shot  up  with  nettles  ;  and  its  surface  was  covered  with  thistles  ; 
and  the  stone-wall  was  broken  down. 

A  vivid  picture  of  the  effects  of  sloth  !  Both  corn-field 
and  vineyard  all  overgrown  with  noxious  weeds  !  —  Jibs? ,  lit. 
ascended  ;  but  here  as  in  the  version.  The  field  mounted  up 
by  the  growth  upon  it.  —  ^53,  Pual  of  ftes,  §  61.  2.  n.  4. — 
Nettles  and  thistles  are  the  secondary  Ace.  of  means  ;  we 
must  supply  the  prep.  with.  —  fi&^Slji ,  fern,  in  Niph.,  and  of 
course  its  Nom.  "rta  is  here  fern. ;  so  Ewald,  §  174.  d.  y. 

(32)  Then  I  looked,  I  considered  ;  I  beheld,  I  received  admonition. 
(33)  A  little  more  sleep,  a  little  more  slumber,  a  little  more  folding 
of  the  hands  for  sleep  ;  (34)  So  shall  thy  poverty  come  as  a  traveller, 
and  thy  pressing  want  as  an  armed  man. 

V.  32,  /  considered,  Heb.  lit.  1  set  my  mind  upon  it.  — 
V.  33,  rvirr,  lit.  of  sleeps;  and  so  r'i-^n,  of  slumberings. 
To  avoid  this  plural  in  English,  (for  it  would  be  bad  usage 
here),  I  have  inserted  the  word  more  ;  as  our  Eng.  version  has 
done.  The  Heb.  plurals  have  an  intensive  meaning  in  them 
selves,  indicating  a  succession  of  sleep  and  slumber.  —  pan , 
31 


362  PART  IV— CHAP.  XXV. 

a  noun,  is  also  of  an  intensive  Piel  form.  —  V.  34, 
implies  a  3  before  it,  at  least  it  needs  the  particle  as,  in  an 
English  version.  The  real  shape  of  the  Heb.  is  thus  :  So 
shall  thy  poverty  —  a  traveller  —  come,  etc.  But  here  our 
word  traveller  hardly  does  justice  to  the  meaning.  A  high 
wayman,  seems  to  be  here  plainly  meant,  of  which  the  Heb. 
is  very  expressive,  viz.,  one  who  goes  hither  and  thither. — 
Then  the  concinnity  with  an  armed  man,  (which  follows,  and 
which  lit.  is  man  of  the  shield},  is  very  plain.  Highwaymen 
come  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  ;  they  come  to  rob  and  to 
kill,  and  of  course  they  come  armed  ;  and  sloth  and  slum 
bering  will  do  the  like  for  the  sluggard,  by  reason  of  the 
consequences  which  they  bring  upon  him.  The  word  sp-iorra 
is  a  plural  of  intensity  ;  and  is  so  translated,  viz.,  pressing 
want. 

Thus  ends  the  fifth  and  last  subdivision  of  PART  III. 
We  come  next  to, 


PART  IV.     CHAPS.  XXV— XXIX. 

[Again  we  have  a  specific  title  or  introduction  to  the  piece  which 
follows;  comp.  10:  1.  As  this  consists  of  Solomon's  compositions, -we 
might  expect,  that  it  would  accord,  as  to  manner,  with  Part  II.  of  the 
hook,  which  clearly  belongs  to  him.  And  such  is  the  case.  But  the 
discussion  of  these  matters  would  hardly  be  appropriate  here,  and  the 
reader  is  therefore  remitted  to  Introd.  §  8.  The  larger  portion  of 
what  is  now  before  us.  has  only  two  members  in  each  gnome ;  and 
these  are  commonly  either  in  contrast,  or  else  they  exhibit  compari 
sons  of  similitude.  Commonly,  also,  each  member  has  eight  or  else 
seven  words :  more  rarely  six.  Even  the  parallelism  is  not  always 
kept  up  :  but  in  general  it  is  somewhat  equable.  This  composition 
has  so  many  traits  of  resemblance  to  Part  II.,  as  already  intimated, 
that  they  seem  enough  to  persuade  an  attentive  and  discerning 
reader,  that  Parts  II.  and  IV.  came  originally  from  the  same  hand.] 


PATIT  IV— CHAP.  XXV.  1.  363 


CHAP.  XXV.  1—28. 

(1)  These,  moreover,  are  the  PKOVERBS  OF  SOLOMON;  which  the 
men  of  Ilezekiah  kinjx  of  Judah  collected. 

ca ,  moreover,  besides,  seems  to  look  back  to  10:1,  seq., 
which  has  the  like  title  with  v.  1  here.  —  MpT"!"!,  lit.  trans 
ferred.  It«is  hardly  to  he  supposed,  that  the  proverbs  which 
follow  were  already  embodied  in  some  little  book  by  itself, 
which  came  into  possession  of  Hezekiah's  friends;  for  what 
can  transferred  mean,  in  such  a  case  ?  The  probability  is, 
then,  that  these  regal  cobperators  found  the  following 
gnomes  in  this  collection  and  in  that ;  and  that  they  copied 
them  out,  or  transferred,  i.  e.  collected,  them  into  one  little 
volume.  The  Sept.,  therefore,  have  well  translated  by  E£E- 
'/QaU'Gavro,  copied  out.  By  wha.t  indicia  they  determined 
the  question  of  authorship,  we  have  no  information.  The 
probability  however  is,  that  some  title,  bearing  the  author's 
name,  was  connected  with  them,  whenever  they  were  found  ; 
or  tradition,  it  may  be,  had  brought  down  a  report  of  the 
authorship.  —  By  the  men  of  Hezekiah,  we  are  doubtless  to 
understand  his  friends,  who  were  literary  courtiers.  It 
matters  not,  whether  the  service  was  performed  at  the 
king's  suggestion,  or  at  theirs.  It  was  an  important,  and 
doubtless  a  very  acceptable,  service ;  and  it  is  no  wonder 
that  such  an  excellent  king  as  Hezekiah,  should  forward 
such  a  compilation. 

The  fact  that  there  are  repetitions  of  the  same  proverb  in 
Part  IV.  itself,  and  a  great  many  repetitions  of  the  proverbs 
in  Part  II.,  either  exact,  or  with  slight  variations,  seems  to 
be  a  good  voucher  for  the  fact,  that  Part  IV.  was  made  up 
from  different  sources,  which  seems  to  have  embodied,  here 
and  there,  portions  of  Part  II.  When  the  transfer  was 
made,  they  were  taken  as  they  stood  in  their  original 
sources.  One  and  the  same  continuous  writer,  or  a  mere 


364  PART  IV— CHAP.  XXV.  2—4. 

selector  of  choice  portions,  would  hardly  have  introduced 
repetitions  so  numerous  as  are  found  here.  His  memory 
would  have  guarded  him  against  them. 

For  the  critical  discussion  of  the  subject,  the  reader  is 
referred  to  the  Introduction,  §  8. 

(2)  The  glory  of  God  is  to  conceal  a  matter ;  but  the  glory  of  kings 
is  to  search  out  a  matter. 

That  "  God's  ways  are  unsearchable"  is  one  of  his  high 
and  awful  prerogatives.  "  Verily  he  is  a  God  who  conceal- 
eth  himself,"  says  Is.  45:  15.  This  deep  mystery  serves  to 
make  a  solemn  impression,  and  to  silence  all  impertinent 
inquiry.  On  the  other  hand,  kings  should  never  proceed 
in  a  hidden  way,  but  do  all  by  inquiry  and  counsel,  respect 
ing  what  they  are  called  to  decide.  Without  searching  out 
a  matter,  in  this  sense,  they  can  never  decide  properly.  It 
is  a  king's  glory  to  get  all  the  light  he  can. 

(3)  The  heavens  for  height,  and  the  earth  for  depth  ;  even  so  is  the 
heart  of  kings  —  there  is  no  searching  it  out. 

That  is,  the  heavens  are  so  high,  and  the  earth  so  deep, 
that  we  cannot  explore  them  thoroughly.  So  is  it,  too,  with 
the  heart  of  kings.  When  they  keep  their  own  secrets,  no 
one  can  venture  to  draw  them  out,  or  no  one  is  able  to  do  it. 

It  is  one  thing  for  kings  to  search  out  a  matter  before  they 
judge  of  it ;  and  quite  another  to  keep  their  own  secrets. 
Kings  are  introduced  here,  because  of  the  difficulty  that  lies 
in  the  way  of  probing  them.  Their  rank  and  their  relation 
to  the  community  exempt  them  from  ordinary  injury. 

(4)  Remove  dross  from  the  silver,  and  there  will  come  forth  for  the 
founder  a  vessel. 

•fort  is  Inf.  abs.  of  rrttt ,  No.  II.,  and  is  used  for  the  Imp 
hortative  ;  for  form,  see  §  74.  n.  2 ;  for  syntax,  §  128.  4.  b 
—  A  vessel,  i.  e.  a  silver  vessel,  which  can  be  shaped  as  may 


PART  IV— CHAP.  XXV.  5—8.  365 

be  required,  the  purification  having  rendered  the  inetal 
malleable  and  ductile.  Of  course  this  is  not  said  for  its 
own  sake,  it  being  an  ordinary  and  familiar  fact,  but  for  the 
sake  of  what  follows,  and  in  such  a  way,  that  a  comparison 
may  be  tacitly  made.  The  sequel  runs  thus : 

(5)  Remove  the  wicked  from  the  presence  of  the  king,  and  his 
throne  shall  be  established  by  righteousness. 

That  is,  remove  wicked  counsellors  and  companions  from 
the  king's  presence,  and  the  dross  will  be  taken  away.  The 
consequences  will  then  be,  the  establishment  of  his  kingdom 
by  justice  and  equity,  since  evil  advisers  are  rejected. 

(6)  Do  not  make  display  of  thyself  before  the  king;  stand  not  in 
the  place  of  the  great. 

The  presence  of  a  king  is  not  an  appropriate  place  for 
one  of  his  humbler  subjects  to  display  splendor  and  pomp, 
which  belong  only  to  his  courtiers.  —  Great  =  nobility  or 
courtiers.  Meaning :  l  Be  not  emulous  of  taking  thy  place 
among  those  who  are  above  thee  in  rank ; '  for  this  seems  to 
be  the  admonition  contained  in  the  verse. 

(7)  For  it  is  better  for  thee,  that  one  should  say  unto  thee  :  '  Come 
up  hither,'  than  that  one  should  degrade  thee  in  the  presence  of  a 
prince,  whom  thine  eyes  behold. 

That  is,  it  is  better  to  be  invited  to  a  place  of  honor,  than 
to  thrust  thyself  into  it  without  invitation.  For  if  thou 
doest  thus,  thou  wilt  be  degraded,  i.  e.  sent  down  to  a  lower 
place  by  the  officer  of  arrangements,  and  thus  put  to  shame 
before  the  very  king,  to  see  whom  thou  hast  officiously 
thrust  thyself  in.  Comp.  Luke  14  :  8—10.  Matt.  23  :  12. 

(8)  Go  not  forth  to  strive  hastily  ;  lest  thou  shouldest  do  something 
in  the  end  thereof,  when  thy  neighbor  hath  put  thee  to  shame. 

The  consequence  of  entering  hastily  into  strife,  is  to  enter 
into  it  unprepared,  and  so  the  way  is  open  and  easy.  — 


366  PART  IV— CHAP.  XXV.  9,  10. 

There  is  an  emphatic  use  of  the  rra  here,  for  it  indicates 
something  very  bad,  or  something  very  dangerous.  A  man 
hasty  in  strife,  or  easily  provoked,  and  who  readily  enters 
into  a  quarrel,  if  he  gets  luorsted  in  any  respect,  i.  e.  put  to 
shame,  becomes  so  enraged,  that  he  is  apt  to  do  some 
thing  desperate,  either  Avhat  is  very  wicked,  or  is  fraught 
with  danger.  For  the  latitude  of  meaning  in  frs  ,  compare 
Prov.  9  :  13.  2  Sam.  18 :  22.  Job  13  :  13. 

My  first  impression,  on  reading  this  verse  attentively, 
was,  that  the  tenor  of  its  meaning  in  the  latter  part  runs 
thus :  Lest  thou  mayest  not  be  able  to  do  anything  at  the  end 
of  the  strife,  when  thy  neighbor  hath  worsted  thee.  In  other 
words  :  '  A  hasty  contest  may  end  so  much  to  thy  disadvan 
tage,  that  thou  mayest  be  quite  crippled  in  thy  power  to 
make  any  farther  resistance.'  For  this,  we  must  make  rra 
=  anything,  quidquid,  and  "jB  must  be  taken  as  a  simple 
negative.  Neither  of  these  are  impossible ;  see  Lex.  rra , 
and  for  "JB  comp.  Prov.  5 :  6,  where  seemingly  (but  not 
really)  it  is  =  ^>X,  not.  The  first  view  is  the  more  simple 
and  certain.  The  latter  would  make  a  good  sense,  but  not 
so  true  to  Hebrew  as  the  other. 

(9)  Contend  earnestly  with  thy  neighbor ;  but  still  reveal  not  the 
secret  of  another. 

Not  a  command  to  enter  into  contention,  but  the  hypo 
thetical  supposition  of  such  a  case  =  Let  us  suppose  that 
thou  art  even  earnestly  contending  with  thy  neighbor,  still, 
be  not  so  dishonorable  as  to  reveal  a  secret  which  he  has 
confided  to  thee,  and  the  disclosure  of  which  might  be  hurt 
ful  to  him,  —  The  word  another  here  means  the  friend  with 
whom  one  is  contending.  —  ^rn,  in  pause,  for  bsrn ,  which  is 
apoc.  Piel  Imperf.  of  r&a .  Some  good  editions  exhibit 
^an  ;  but  the  other  is  normal  in  pause. 

(10)  Lest  lie  who  heareth  should  reproach  thee;  and  so  thine  ill 
fame  shall  not  depart. 


PART  IV-CnAP.  XXV.  11.  367 

That  is :  :  Do  not  reveal  secrets ;  for  lie  who  hears  the 
revelation  will  reproach  thee  for  making  it ;  and  ill  fame 
will  follow  thee,  yea,  even  such  as  will  not  depart  from  thee.' 
—  nrrn ,  lit.  return,  and  then,  turn  away,  desistere,  recedere. 
Meaning :  '  By  the  disclosure  of  secrets,  an  ill  name  will  be 
given  to  thee,  which  will  continually  cleave  to  thee.' 

(11)  Apples  of  gold  among  picture-work  of  silver,  is  a  word  spoken 
in  proper  season. 

In  the  first  clause,  the  idea  is  that  of  a  garment  of  precious 
stuff,  on  which  is  embroidered  golden  apples  among  picture- 
work  of  silver.  Costly  and  precious  was  such  a  garment 
held  to  be ;  for  besides  the  ornaments  upon  it,  the  material 
itself  was  of  high  value. —  "Q'n ,  Part.  pass.  Kal  is  found 
nowhere  else.  —  I^SJN  "by ,  has  received  many  interpreta 
tions.  Kimchi,  Schultens,  Bertheau,  and  others,  have  made 
it  the  plur.  of  "Six,  wheel,  and  so  construed  it  as  conveying 
the  idea  of  haste,  alertness,  readiness,  because  wheels  run 
swiftly.  It  seems  to  be  a  conclusive  objection  against  this, 
that  "SIX,  wheel,  has  a  long  immutable  Hholem,  which  is 
nearly  always  written  i  in  the  sing.,  and  always  in  the  plur., 
whether  absolute  or  const.  Besides  this,  the  plur.  always 
doubles  the  radical  *,  e.  g.  c^SSl'x,  showing  that  the  word  is 
a  Pilel  form.  A  word  on  its  wheels,  moreover,  at  least 
sounds  strange  to  our  ears.  We  must  resort  to  another 
root,  which  is  h,sx ,  prob.  =  n2B ,  to  turn  ;  and  hence,  with 
reference  to  the  revolutions  or  vicissitudes  of  time,  it  comes 
to  mean  time,  i.  e.  period  of  revolution.  From  the  Segholate 
•jB/X,  we  here  obtain  T^sst,  instead  of  Y^sx;  but  this  is 
nothing  strange,  for  the  shortened  plurals  here,  like  the  first, 
of  these  two  words,  are  not  uncommon  ;  see  §  91.  6.  2,  plur. 
abs.  and  const.  Ges.  Lehrgeb.  s.  575,  (which  has  a  fuller 
exhibition  of  the  shortened  plural  forms).  —  A  word  in  its 
time,  is  a  word  in  the  time  appropriate  to  it.  It  seems 
plain,  that  this  last  signification  is  wellgrounded ;  for  in 


368  PART  IV— CHAP.  XXV.  12—14. 

Arabic,  the  same  word  (written  *5x)  means  time.  The  ex 
igency  of  the  case,  and  the  testimony  of  the  Arabic,  seem 
sufficient  to  guide  us  in  this  controverted  passage. 

(12)  Aringof  trold.and  an  ornament  of  pure  gold, is  a  wise  reprover 
to  a  hearing  car. 

CT3  lit.  means,  a  nose-ring,  or  an  ear-ring.  The  less  specific 
sense  sounds  better  to  us.  — So  ^q  properly  means  a  necklace 
or  collar  ;  but  sometimes  it  designates  an  ornament  for  any 
part  of  the  body.  Here,  too,  the  generic  sense  is  preferable. 
—  That  '  the  listening  ear  is  better  than  the  ear  adorned  with 
gold  rings,'  seems  to  be  the  gist  of  the  proverb.  In  other 
words  :  '  Knowledge  is  better  than  ornaments.' 

(13)  Like  the  cold  of  snow  in  harvest  time,  is  a  faithful  messenger 
to  those  who  send  him  ;  for  the  soul  of  his  masters  will  he  revive. 

nss ,  const.,  from  "jis ,  a  word  of  very  peculiar  and  diverse 
significations.  The  custom  of  mixing  snow  with  drinks,  during 
the  hot  season,  is  here  alluded  to ;  and  it  is  a  vivid  image  of 
refreshment.  A  faithful  messenger  refreshes  in  like  manner. 
The  two  words  iirfcfcj  and  l^Hx  may  both  be  considered  as 
cases  of  the  pluralis  eccellentiae,  and  therefore  can  be  trans 
lated  by  the  singular.  The  case  supposed,  is  that  of  a  faithful 
emissary  on  important  business,  which  he  transacts  with 
success,  to  the  gratification  of  his  employer. 

(14)  Clouds  and  wind  without  rain,  is  he  who  boasts  himself  of  a 
deceitful  gift. 

"px  t3'£J?p.  >  lit.  and  yet  no  rain  ;  the  version  gives  the  sense 
truly.  —  Boasts  himself  of  an  intended  gift,  and  consequently 
of  his  liberality,  and  yet  the  gift  is  a  deception,  being  never 
actually  made.  —  The  comparison  is  very  striking,  and  the 
sentiment  pungent.  Clouds  and  wind  sometimes  promise 
rain,  and  do  not  give  it ;  so  the  boasting  man  promises,  and 
perhaps  parades,  his  so-called  gifts ;  but  he  does  not  bestow 
them. 


PART  IV— CHAP.  XXV.  15—17.  369 

(15)  By  delay  of  anger  a  prince  is  persuaded;  and  a  soft  tongue 
breaketh  the  bone. 

When  any  one  restrains  his  indignation  at  a  wrong  done 
him,  even  a  prince,  who  is  very  likely  to  persist  in  his  own 
way,  becomes  softened,  and  persuaded  to  do  justice.  —  A  soft 
tongue,  is  one  which  speaks  mild  and  gentle  language.  — 
Breaketh  the  hone,  is  a  vivid  image  of  the  power  which  soft 
ness  and  mildness  have  in  overcoming  obstinacy.  The  lone 
is  a  hard  substance ;  but  hard  as  it  is,  the  soft  tongue  has 
power  to  break  it.  Meaning  :  '  Forbearance  and  gentleness 
have  great  power  in  subduing  self-will  and  obstinate  persist 
ence  in  wrong-doing.' 

(16)  Hast  thou  found  honey,  eat  [only]  what  sufficeth  thee  ;  lest  thou 
become  satiated  with  it,  and  vomit  it  up. 

^ ,  "I'H  in  the  suff.  state  takes  this  form ;  in  the  const,  it 
is  ^ ,  from  ^ .  The  idea  is  :  '  Eat  only  so  much  as  will  be 
innocent  and  useful.  Beyond  this,  satiety  and  loathing  follow, 
even  to  vomiting.' — The  two  suffixes  to  the  two  last  verbs  refer 
to  1-:3'? ,  and  are  in  the  Ace.  As  to  the  first,  it  is  governed 
by  the  verb  of  filling,  §  135.  3.  h.  We  are  obliged  to  employ, 
in  English,  a  preposition  after  such  verbs,  (e.  g.  with),  but 
not  so  the  Hebrews.  —  'irjtprv,  Hiph.  Praet.  2  pers.,  with 
suff.,  from  JOp .  The  final  n  of  the  verb  loses  its  own  vowel 
(T),  because  it  must  be  joined  to  the  vowel-suffix.  Sentiment : 
'  Ne  quid  nimis.  Moderation  in  luxuries  is  essential  to 
comfort  and  health.' 

(17)  Keep  back  thy  foot  from  the  house  of  thy  friend,  lest  lie  should 
become  satiated  with  thee.  and  hate  thee. 

^iph  = 'np'in ,  lit.  make  scarce  (see  Is.  13  :  12),  from  "ij^  . 
Here  again,  we  have  a  Ne  quid,  nimis,  in  another  form. 
Sentiment :  '  Do  not  pay  too  frequent  visits  to  thy  neighbor. 
Satiety,  and  at  last  disgust,  will  ensue.' —  Here  again  is  the 
Ace.  pron.  suff.,  after  a  verb  of  filling,  as  in  v.  1 6. 


370  PART  IV— CHAP.  XXV.  18—20. 

(18)  A  maul,  a  sword,- and  a  sharp  arrow,  is  the  man  who  answereth 
against  his  friend  as  a  false  witness. 

That  is,  such  a  man  is  like  to  those  destructive  weapons, 
3 ,  as,  being  omitted,  as  often  elsewhere.  —  Answereth,  e.  g. 
the  questions  put  to  him  by  a  magistrate,  acting  as  a  judge. 
—  -ifta  *TJ  is  in  apposition  with  d^x ,  and  is  designed  to 
characterize  or  farther  describe. 

(19)  A  broken  tooth,  and  a  foot  which  is  a-wry,  is  confidence  in  a 
treacherous  man,  in  a  season  of  distress. 

nsn ,  fern.  Inf.  as  a  noun,  from  ran ,  Inf.  an ,  lit.  a  tooth  of 
breaking.  —  rvi.STa  (in  pause),  Part.  Pual  of  *i:n .  Gesenius, 
and  many  others,  make  the  word  a  pres.  Part,  of  12E ,  and 
suppose  rvij^ra  to  be  a  shortened  form  here  of  rni"i£  .  But 
the  Hholein,  in  such  a  case,  is  immutable,  and  this  solution, 
therefore,  cannot  be  accepted.  No  analogy  is  even  appealed 
to,  in  defence  of  this  latter  opinion.  The  other  solution  is  an 
obvious  one,  as  to  the  form ;  and  as  to  the  meaning,  see 
Ezek.  21:  21,  where  the  word  plainly  means  turned  aside ; 
which  in  the  version  I  have  expressed  by  a-wry.  —  In  the 
next  clause,  the  Heb.  lit.  taken,  stands  thus :  confidence  of  a 
treacherous  man,  which  we  express  by  confidence  in  him.  — 
Meaning :  '  A  treacherous  man  will  not  only  fail  you  in  a 
time  of  distress,  but  will  annoy  you  like  a  broken  tooth  or  a 
sprained  foot. 

(20)  [As]  he  that  taketh  away  a  garment   in   a  cold  day — [as] 
vinegar  upon  nitre  —  even  so  is  he  that  singeth  with  songs  to  a  sad 
heart. 

The  two  first  clauses  are  designed  as  the  basis  of  compar 
ison  ;  the  last  shows  that  with  which  they  are  compared.  — 
The  second  clause,  vinegar  upon  nitre,  is  a  constructio  praey- 
nans,  the  verb  pouring,  or  some  equivalent  word,  being  im 
plied  before  \>" .  To  expose  incongruities  of  action,  is  the 
object  here.  '  It  would  be  mal  apropos  to  strip  off  clothing 
on  a  cold  day  ;  vinegar  and  nitre  are  opposite  to  each  other, 


PART  IV-CHAP.  XXV.  21-24.  371 

and  combination  spoils  them  botli ;  and  equally  incongruous 
as  this,  is  the  making  merry  to  a  heart  which  is  saddened. 

(21)  If  thine  enemy  hunger,  feed  him  with  bread;  if  he  thirst,  give 
him  witer  to  drink  ;  (22)  For  coals  of  fire  wilt  thou  heap  on  his  head, 
and  Jehovah  will  reward  thee. 

V.  21,  comp.  Rom.  12 :  20.  Matt.  5  :  43,  44.  —  Bread  .  .  . 
water,  are  in  the  second  Ace.,  i.  e.  the  Ace.  of  means.  —  V. 
22,  nnh .  lit.  to  take  or  to  gather  ;  but  here  it  seems  to  convey 
a  sense  appropriate  to  the  br  that  follows,  as  in  the  version. 
As  to  the  sentiment ;  some  of  the  ancients  construed  the  coals 
of  fire  as  indicative  of  vengeance,  destruction.  But  this  is  not 
congruous  with  the  sequel :  Jehovah  will  reward  thee.  Re 
ward  for  vengeance,  inflicted  by  man,  is  surely  not  a  matter 
of  promise  in  the  Bible.  The  meaning  then  must  be,  that 
the  coals  will  melt  his  enmity ;  or  else,  perhaps,  that  they 
will  enkindle  his  shame.  It  seems  to  be  as  much  as  to  say : 
4  The  reception  of  undeserved  kindness  must  make  him  blush 
deeply  for  his  enmity ; '  for  this  is  plainly  the  general  senti 
ment  aimed  at.  The  whole  two  verses  are  worthy  of  "  Him 
who  spake  as  never-man  did  speak." 

(23}  The  north  wind  bringeth  forth  a  shower:  arid  a  concealed 
tongue  —  a  rueful  countenance. 

It  is  a  matter  of  fact,  that  a  north-west  wind,  from  the 
Mediterranean  Sea,  brings  rain  in  Palestine.  In  the  language 
of  Scripture,  this  is  a  north  ivind,  inasmuch  as  the  Hebrews 
have  only  four  cardinal  points.  —  In  the  second  clause,  the 
verb  bb'rn  Is  implied,  where  the  dash  is  inserted.  —  c-^sta, 
Part.  Niph.,  affected  with  anger  ^  or  with  abhorrence  or  disgust 
=  rueful.  Meaning  :  *  Concealed  or  private  slander  excites 
anger  and  disgust-,' 

(24)  Better  1  •  it  ;o  dwell  on  the  pinnacle  of  a  roof;  than  with  a 
brawling  woman  who  i.--  a  house-companion. 

See  21:  9,  19,  where  stands,  verbatim,  the  same  proverb. 


372  PAKT  IV—  CHAP.  XXV.  25-27. 

(25)  [As]  cold  water  to  a  weary  soul,  even  so  is  a  goodly  report  from 
a  distant  countr. 


The  ti  before  rt|sra$,  is  that  of  comparison,  §  152.  B.  3. 
The  meaning  is,  that  both  of  them  are  quickening  and  refresh 
ing.  —  Ttie  report  from  a  distant  country,  doubtless  refers  to 
good  news  from  a  friend,  absent  in  a  foreign  country. 

(26)  A  disturbed  fountain  and  a  spoiled  well,  is  a  righteous  man 
tottering  before  the  wicked. 


iaEHa  ,  lit.  trodden  with  the  feet,  and  so  disturbed  or  roiled.  — 
A  spoiled  well,  finiL:£  Part.  Hoph.,  is  one  into  which  impure 
substances  are  thrown,  which  destroy  the  quality  of  the  water. 
These  are  disagreeable  objects  ;  and  so  is  it  revolting  to  our 
minds,  when  we  see  a  good  man  succumbing  to  a  bad  one. 

(27)  To  eat  much  honey  is  not  good  ;  and  searching  after  one's  own 
glory  is  burdensome. 

There  is  a  great  variety  of  sentiment  in  regard  to  the  ex 
position  of  the  last  clause,  Tins  nrths  .  Eng.  Version  :  "  To 
search  after  their  own  glory  is  not  glory  ;"  i.  e.  the  liberty  of 
supplying  is  not,  is  taken  in  order  to  avoid  an  absurd  sentiment. 
The  verb  is,  we  know  well,  is  implied  some  twenty  times 
where  it  is  inserted  once  ;  but  as  to  supplying  is  not,  unless  a 
previous  parallelism  contains  a  negative  expressed,  I  know  of 
no  authority  for  it,  and  no  grammatical  precedent.  —  Arnoldi, 
Ewald,  and  others,  appeal  to  the  Arabic  "ipn  ,  which  means 
to  despise,  and  so  they  render  thus  :  To  despise  their  glory 
[that  of  men],  is  glory.  The  sense  is  well  ;  but  the  resort 
to  the  Arabic  for  the  meaning  of  a  word  so  frequent  as  "i^ri 
and  its  derivates  in  Hebrew,  (it  is  used  some  forty  times),  is 
aside  from  sound  philology.  That  the  second  Th3  differs  in 
meaning  here  from  the  first,  seems  quite  plain.  I  would  refer 
the  second  to  the  original  sense  of  133  ,  viz.,  to  be  weighty, 
grievous,  troublesome  or  burdensome,  which  last  word  preserves 
the  exact  shade  of  the  original  ;  see  in  27  :  3.  The  examples 


PART  IV— CHAP.  XXVI.  1.  373 

of  this  sense  arc  abundant ;  see  Lex.  s.  v.  No.  4.  We  have 
then  here  a  paronomasia ;  exactly  like  that  of  rVix  in  14: 
24.  The  search  after  Tins  (in  one  sense),  is  ^I'as  (in  another 
sense).  So  the  version  above.  — The  only  seeming  difficulty 
is  the  suff.  in  d'lhs .  But  this  I  take  to  be  a  pronoun  indefi 
nite,  and  as  it  were  impersonal.  If  the  plur.  be  insisted  on, 
then  the  implied  antecedent  is  CI^DX .  In  impersonal  verbs, 
the  third  sing,  and  plur.  are  both  used  indifferently.  So  here 
—  their  glory  is  the  glory  of  those  who  make  the  search 
in  question.  I  have  translated  in  the  sing,  by  one's  glory, 
which  gives  for  substance  the  same  sense,  and  runs  smoother 
in  English  than  the  plural.  —  Thus  we  obtain  the  sentiment 
in  substance,  of  our  English  version,  without  trespassing,  as 
that  does,  upon  the  integrity  of  the  text. — We  see,  moreover, 
in  this  way,  the  force  of  the  comparison.  The  first  clause 
declares,  that  we  may  have  too  much  of  a  good  thing,  so  that 
it  becomes  virtually  an  evil  to  us.  As  for  the  second  ;  gloryt 
i.  e.  an  honorable  name,  is  a  good  thing ;  but  to  seek  after 
this  as  an  object,  and  with  solicitude,  becomes  a  burden. 

(28)  A  city  with  breaches  —  without  a  wall  —  is  a  man  who  has  no 
control  over  his  own  spirit. 

Fix^Q ,  lit.  broken,  cast  down.  —  Without  a  wall,  is  an 
epexegetical  clause,  in  apposition  with  the  other,  defining 
still  more  particularly.  Such  a  city  is  liable  to  be  attacked 
and  plundered ;  and  so  the  man,  who  has  no  control  over  him 
self,  is  always  exposed  to  doing  or  saying  something  which 
will  be  injurious  to  himself. 

CHAP.  XXVI.  1—28. 

(1)  As  snow  in  summer,  and  rain  in  harvest-time,  so  honor  is  not 
comely  to  a  fool. 

Snow  in  summer,  and  showers  in  harvest-time,  are  very 
incongruous  with  the  season,  i.  e.  they  are  untimely.  So  is 
it  with  honor  bestowed  on  a  fool.  It  does  not  fit  him. 


374  PART  IV— CHAP.  XXVI.  2—5. 

(2)  As  a  sparrow  in  respect  to  flitting  away,  as  a  swallow  in  regard 
to  flight,  so  a  curse  without  cause  will  not  take  effect. 

The  sparrow  and  the  swallow  are  remarkable  for  rapid 
flight.  They  not  only  fly  swiftly  away,  but  one  cannot  make 
them  abiding  or  stationary.  So  shall  the  curse,  which  is 
causelessly  uttered,  be  dissipated.  It  will  not  hit  the  mark, 
will  not  enter  into  (sinn  xb)  the  object  aimed  at ;  or,  it  will 
not  arrive,  happen.,  take  effect ;  for  xia  sometimes  has  this 
meaning.  This  is  much  better  than  the  Qeri  ib  (for  x'b), 
which  runs  thus :  will  come  upon  him,  viz.,  on  the  fool  who 
utters  it.  The  comparison  is  lost  by  this.  *  The  birds  swiftly 
vanish  ;  and  so  does  the  causeless  curse,  i.  e.  it  will  not  light.' 
I  take  this  to  be  the  gist  of  the  comparison ;  and  after  this 
tenor  is  the  version  above. 

(3)  A  scourge  for  the  horse,  a  bridle  for  the  ass,  and  a  rod  for  the 
back  of  fools. 

That  is,  a  rod  is  as  appropriate  for  fools,  as  a  whip  for  the 
horse,  or  a  bridle  for  the  ass.  Comp.  10  :  13.  19  :  29. 

(4)  Answer  not  a  fool  according  to  his  folly,  lest  thou  be  like  unto 
him,  even  thou.     (5)  Answer  a  fool  according  to  his  folly,  lest  he  be 
wise  in  his  own  view. 

Both  true  or  correct,  with  appropriate  limitations.  In  the 
first  case,  one  is  not  to  answer  a  fool  in  a  way  that  accords 
with  his  folly,  i.  e.  by  saying  silly  things  as  he  does ;  for  this 
would  make  one  turn  fool  himself.  In  the  second  place,  one 
should  answer  him  as  his  folly  deserves,  i.  e.  with  reproof,  or 
(it  may  be)  with  a  wise  moderation ;  for  otherwise  he  will 
indulge  the  conceit,  that  he  himself  is  as  wise  as  others.  — 
The  play  of  words  here,  consists  in  giving  to  3  in  the  two 
cases  a  meaning  somewhat  diverse,  although  both  come  within 
the  range  of  the  particle.  The  first  3  means  in  accordance 
with,  i.  e.  after  the  tenor  of ;  the  second,  according  to  the  desert 
of,  i.  e.  in  such  a  way  as  one  ought,  as  a  matter  of  justice,  to 


PART  IV—  CHAP.  XXVI.  6—8.  375 

answer  folly.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  these  seemingly 
discrepant  gnomes  are  here  put  together,  for  the  sake  of 
point  or  paronomasia. 

(6)  He  cuttcth  oft1  feet,  lie  drinketh  in  wrong,  who  scndeth  a  mes 
sage  by  the  aid  of  a  fool. 

Cutting  off  the  feet  of  a  messenger,  would  of  course  de 
prive  a  man  of  any  advantage  from  his  service.  He  who 
sends  a  fool,  does  the  like,  as  to  getting  any  good  from  his 
service.  Nor  is  this  all  ;  he  drinketh  in  wrong,  who  sends 
such  a  messenger,  because  he  will  do  or  say  something, 
which  will  bring  mischief  upon  him  who  sent  him,  so  that  he 
will  be  the  sufferer. 

(7)  Take  away  the  legs  of  a  lame  man  :  and  so  —  a  proverb  which 
is  in  the  mouth  of  fools. 


'pb'n  can  be  made  only  in  the  Piel  of  fib^  ;  not  =  iVb'n  (so 
Ges.  in  Lex.  and  others)  are  weak  ;  for  how  would  this 
meaning  suitably  compare  with  the  next  clause  ?  The  Dagh. 
in  }>  is  omitted,  because  the  b  is  virtually  repeated  by  insert 
ing  the  Todh;  as  in  French,  where  in  mouiller  (moul-ye), 
etc.,  the  second  I  is  pronounced  as  an  i.  The  legs  of  the 
lame  are  useless,  is  the  meaning  ;  and  so  they  may  as  well 
be  taken  away,  as  it  respects  any  good  from  them.  So  a 
proverb  in  the  mouth  of  fools  is  useless  ;  for  they  know  not 
how  and  when  to  use  it.  It  is  a  lame  proverb.  —  i&2  ,  which 
is  in  the  mouth,  not  *&•%  ,  from  the  mouth  ;  i.  e.  take  away  that 
which  is  in  the  fool's  mouth,  and  which  he  is  about  to  utter. 
In  other  words  :  '  Lay  restraint  upon  a  fool's  uttering  what 
he  has  made  ready  to  speak,  for  it  will  be  useless.' 

(8)  As  the  binding  of  a  stone  in  a  sling,  so  is  he  who  giveth  honor 
to  a  fool. 

It  would  be  absurd  to  bind  a  stone  to  a  sling,  and  then 
expect  it  to  do  execution.  Equally  so  is  it,  to  bestow  honor 
upon  a  fool,  and  then  expect  any  good  consequence  from  it. 


376  PART  IV— CHAP.  XXVI.  9-13. 

(9)  As  a  thorn-bush  which  is  elevated  in  the  hand  of  a  drunkard, 
so  is  a  proverh  in  the  mouth  of  a  fool. 

As  a  drunken  man,  who  holds  a  high  thorn-bush  in  his 
hand,  will  be  very  apt  to  injure  others  or  himself;  so  a  fool's 
words  will  injure  himself  or  others. 

(10)  An  arrow  which  woundeth  every  one,  is  he  who  hireth  a  fool, 
and  he  who  hireth  vagrants. 

:n  from  rn1} ,  No.  2.  Lex.,  an  arroiv.  —  The  man  who  em 
ploys  fools  and  vagrants  to  do  his  work,  and  pays  them 
wages,  will  injure  himself.  Such  hiring  is  like  an  arrow, 
which,  if  poisoned,  may  wound  those  who  handle  it,  as  well 
as  those  against  whom  it  is  sent.  In  other  words,  the  em 
ployment  of  fools  and  vagrants  is  very  mischievous,  in  its 
consequences,  to  him  who  needs  to  have  work  well  done.  — 
D^W ,  passers  by,  vagrants,  or  if  not  these,  at  least  it  implies 
persons  who  are  mere  passers  by,  i.  e.  not  well  known. 

(11)  As  a  dog-  rctumeth  to  his  vomit,  a  fool  will  repeat  his  folly. 

The  Heb.  shape  of  the  last  clause  is  thus  :  A  fool  will  make 
repetition  with  his  folly,  i.  e.  will  repeat  his  nonsense.  —  ixj3 , 
his  vomit,  (not  the  act  of  vomiting},  is  the  filthy  food  on  which 
the  dog  feeds,  even  the  sight  of  which  produces  loathing  and 
abhorrence.  The  dog  eats  such  a  nauseous  morsel  greedily ; 
and  the  fool  repeats  his  nonsense  in  a  like  manner. 

(12)  Scest  thon  a  man  wise  in  his  own  view,  there  is  more  hope  for 
a  fool  than  for  him. 

Self-conceit  and  vain-glory  are  more  hopeless  (in  their 
tendencies)  than  folly. 

(13)  The  sluggard  saith  :  There  is  a  lion  in  the  way  ;  a  lion  in  the 
midst  of  the  broad  streets. 

Almost  an  exact  repetition  of  22  : 13.  Sentiment :  '  Sloth 
invents  even  the  most  absurd  things,  as  an  apology  for  in 
action.' 


PART  IV— CHAP.  XXVI.  14—19.  377 

(14)  The  door  turneth  upon  its  hinge,  and  so  the  sluggard  upon 
his  bed. 

Comp.  G:  10.  24:  33.  The  point  of  comparison  is  not 
very  obvious  at  first,  and  opinions  differ.  The  matter,  how 
ever,  seems  to  be  thus :  The  door  is  turned  upon  its  hinges 
by  others ;  it  does  not  turn  itself.  Even  so  the  sluggard. 
He  will  not  so  much  as  turn  himself  in  bed,  but  needs  others 
to  help  him.  A  biting  sarcasm  indeed ;  but  there  are  many 
such,  respecting  sluggards,  in  this  book  ;  see  the  next  verse. 
For  the  Chaldaizing  form  m'&Pi,  from  SSO,  see  §  G6.  5.  E.  g. 

(15)  The  sluggard  plungeth  his  hand  into  the  dish  ;  it  is  wearisome 
to  bring  it  back  to  his  mouth. 

With  slight  variations,  this  verse  is  the  same  as  19 :  24. 
q.  v.  —  Jixba  may  be  rendered,  lie  is  wearied.  The  sense  is 
the  same,  for  substance,  as  in  the  version. 

(16)  The  sluggard  is  more  wise  in  his  own  view,  than  seven  men 
who  can  render  a  reason. 

That  is,  he  is,  in  his  own  view,  wise  in  forging  excuses 
for  his  sloth;  even  more  wise  than  those  who  can  give 
intelligent  answers.  —  Seven  is  of  course  the  perfect  number  ; 
and  here  it  is  merely  an  indefinite  number.  —  ^^a  ,  Part, 
plur.  const,  in  Hiphil. 

(17)  [As]  one  who  graspeth  hold  on  a  dog's  ears,  [so]  is  he  who, 
passing  along,  rusheth  into  strife  which  belongeth  not  to  him. 

I  have  supplied  the  particles  of  comparison,  which  are 
plainly  implied,  in  order  to  render  the  passage  more  explicit. 
He  who  grasps  strongly  a  dog  by  the  ears,  provokes  him  to 
an  attack.  Like  to  this,  is  intermeddling  with  a  quarrel 
which  does  not  belong  to  us. 

(18)  Like   a   silly  jester,  who   shooteth  forth   darts,  arrows,  and 
death;  (19)  So  is  the  man  who  decciveth  his  neighbor,  and  saith: 
Am  I  not  sporting  ? 

32* 


378  PART  IV—  CHAP.  XXVI.  20—23. 


V.  18,  rPfibra,  in  Hithpalpel,  from  ftrte,  verb  $y  ,  and 
found  only  here.  The  account  of  the  word  in  Ges.  Lex.  is 
hardly  satisfactory.  Bertheau  compares  it  with  the  Arabic 
Kfib,  which  means  to  joke  ;  and  in  its  intensive  form  (as  in 
our  text),  it  means  :  to  be  always  employed  in  silly  joking. 
This  agrees  well  with  the  exposition  of  the  meaning,  as 
made  in  the  next  verse,  by  the  well-known  word  pry^w  , 
sporting.  Madman  is  a  meaning,  that  seems  not  capable  of 
satisfactory  proof.  —  n^t  comes  from  pst  ,  and  has  the  2 
assimilated.  But  the  verb  means  to  cast,  to  throw  far,  and 
so  the  noun  comes  to  mean  a  dart,  (not  firebrands,  as  in  our 
Version).  —  Death,  tropically  used  as  here,  means  deadly 
weapons.  —  V.  19,  the  man  who  deceives,  and  calls  it  sport 
ing,  gives  deadly  wounds,  like  the  weapons  before  men 
tioned. 

(20)  Where  there  is  no  wood,  the  fire  goeth  out  :  and  where  there 
is  no  tattler,  strife  is  silent.  (21)  As  charcoal  for  glowing  coals,  and 
wood  for  fire,  so  is  the  man  of  strife  for  kindling  contention. 

V.  20,  Strife  goes  out,  without  tattling  and  slander  ;  even 
as  fire  goes  out,  without  wood.  V.  21,  On  the  other  hand, 
a  man  who  loves  strife  will  excite  a  heated  contest  ;  just  as 
charcoal  makes  glowing  coals,  and  wood  .  makes  the  fire  to 
burn.  —  ^n^inb  ,  Inf.  Pilpal  of  Tin,  to  inflame. 

(22)  The  words  of  a  slanderer  are  like  sportive  ones,  yet  they  go 
down  into  the  deep  recesses  of  the  belly. 

See  on  18:8,  where  are  the  same  words,  which  are  there 
explained  at  length. 

(23)  Drossy  silver  spread  over  an  earthen  vessel,  are  burning  lips 
and  an  evil  heart. 

That  is,  metal  of  little  worth  is  used  to  cover  a  mean 
vessel,  although  it  appears  splendid  like  silver.  Even  so, 
burning  lips,  (i.  e.  lips  which  give  warm  kisses  that  seem  to 
indicate  much  affection),  if  connected  with  an  evil  disposi- 


PART  IV—  CHAP.  XXVI.  24—28.  379 

tion,  are  no  better  than  the  splendid  dross.  —  Meaning: 
4  Pretension  of  friendship,  where  real  malice  is  harbored,  is 
utterly  worthless.' 

(24)  By  his  lips  doth  he  who  hatcth  make  himself  known  :  and  iu 
his  inner-part  doth  lie  lay  up  deceit. 

Internal  hatred  will  disclose  itself  by  words.  When  bitter 
feeling  is  prepared  or  laid  up  in  the  heart  ;  then  it  will  dis 
close  itself  by  the  lips. 

(25j  When  he  maketh  his  voice  pleasant,  trust  him  not  ;  for  seven 
abominations  are  in  his  heart. 


"jilj11  ,  utters  siveet  or  lovely  tones.  —  Seven  =  many.  — 
Abominations,  things  abominable  to  be  done. 

(26)  Hatred  concealeth  deceit;  the  malice  thereof  will  be  revealed 
in  the  great  assembly. 

I  do  not  find  the  word  ^XWv  either  in  Ges.  or  in  Fuerst's 
Concord.  Heb.  But  there  can  be  no  doubt,  that  it  is  a 
derivate  of  Kbi  ,  to  deceive,  and  so  means  deceit.  —  ins?1}  , 
with  a  masc.  suff.  referring  to  the  masc.  noun  "p'sosa  .  —  The 
meaning  seems  to  be,  that  although  hatred  may  conceal 
deceit  while  it  is  privately  indulged,  yet  by  intercourse  with 
men  a  development  of  it  will  be  made,  so  that  the  malignity 
of  the  hater  will  become  known. 

(27)  He  who  diggeth  a  pit,  shall  fall   into  it;  he  who  rolleth  a 
stone,  it  shall  turn  back  upon  him. 

Comp.  Ecc.  10:8.  —  The  last  clause  runs  lit.  thus:  It 
sJiall  return  to  Jam,  But  the  real  idea  is  given  in  the  ver 
sion.  Meaning  :  '  He  who  devises  mischief  to  others,  it 
shall  come  upon  himself.'  —  Not  perhaps  the  same  identical 
mischief,  but  at  least  an  equivalent. 

(28)  A  lying  tongue  will  hate  those  who  are  crushed  by  it;  and  a 
flattering  mouth  will  bring  about  ruin. 


380  PART  IV— CHAP.  XXVII.  1—3. 

•pEJlp  is /em.,  while  the  verb  that  follows  is  masc. ;  but  as 
a  lying  tongue  here  =  liar,  so  there  is  a  concord  ad  sensum. 
The  case  may  be  solved  in  another  way ;  most  names  of  the 
members  of  the  body  are  employed  in  both  genders.  — 
Nothing  is  more  common  than  to  hate  those  whom  we  injure. 
—  TIM ,  plur.  of  f^ ,  with  suff.  masc.,  for  the  same  reason 
that  the  verb  is  masc.  —  A  Smooth  tongue  may  be  employed, 
while  efforts  are  made,  at  the  same  time,  in  order  to  over 
throw  or  bring  to  ruin. 


CHAP.  XXVII.  1—27. 

( 1 )  Boast  not  thyself  of  to-morrow,  for  thou  knowest  not  what  a 
day  may  bring  forth. 

Rely  not  confidently  on  plans  for  the  future,  however  well 
they  may  be  concocted ;  for  God  only  knows  what  may 
happen.  —  y^ ,  Qamets  because  of  the  smaller  Distinctive 
Rebhia.  —  ^V>  for  ^ ,  because  the  accent  is  thrown  back  by 
reason  of  the  tone-syllable  which  immediately  follows,  §  29. 
3.b. 

(2)  Let  another  praise  thec.  and  not  thine  own  mouth  ;  a  stranger, 
and  not  thine  own  lip.s. 

"IT  I  have  rendered  another,  because  stranger  must  other 
wise  be  repeated.  Indeed,  the  actual  idea  is  not  that  of  a 
foreigner,  but  only  of  another  and  different  person  from 
one's  self.  —  Meaning :  '  Indulge  not  in  self-gratulation  and 
applause.' 

(3)  A  stone  is  heavy,  and  sand  is  weighty;  but  vexation  by  a  fool 
is  more  burdensome  than  both  of  them. 

Hebrew  lit.  a  stone  is  heaviness,  and  sand  is  iveightiness, 
abstr.  for  concrete. —  Vexation  of  a  fool,  is  the  shape  of  the 
Heb.,  but  the  meaning  is  :  '  The  vexation  which  he  occa 
sions.'  This  idea  is  expressed  in  the  version.  —  It  would 


PART  IV— CHAP.  XXVII.  4—7.  381 

seem  as  if  the  writer's  store  of  characteristics  applicable  to 
the  description  of  fools,  had  been  already  exhausted ;  but 
this  is  a  new  development,  expressing  strongly  the  disgust 
which  a  fool's  demeanor  occasions.  This  verse  throws  light 

on  ^23  in  25  :  27. 

(4)  Cruel  is  wrath,   and  anger  is  overwhelming;  who  then  can 
stand  before  envy  ? 

Heb.  cruelty  .  .  .  inundation,  which  I  have  made  concretes 
in  the  version.  —  Both  wrath  and  anger  are  fraught  with 
evil,  which  is  hard  to  be  borne ;  but  much  worse  still  is  the 
passion  of  envy,  or  (perhaps)  jealousy.  Either  of  these 
excites  to  deeds  the  most  atrocious. 

(5)  Open  admonition  is  better  than  secret  love.     (6)  Faithful  are 
the  wounds  of  a  friend,  but  the  kisses  of  an  enemy  are  multiplied. 

V.  5,  Love,  kept  entirely  secret,  profits  not  the  object  of 
it.  —  Admonition  shows  the  better  kind  of  friendship. — 
V.  6,  the  wounds  of  a  friendly  monitor  are  salutary ;  they 
make  us  see  and  feel  our  faults.  —  The  many  kisses  of  an 
enemy,  however  much  of  love  they  may  seem  to  promise, 
are  of  course  deceitful,  and  the  multiplication  of  them  only 
aggravates  the  wrong.  —  I  see  no  way  to  get  the  meaning 
of  deceitful  from  rvhrira,  root  -IPS  ;  compare  Ezek.  35  :  13. 
—  The  point  of  comparison  here,  is  that  of  wounds  on  the 
one  hand  by  a  friend,  and  kisses  on  the  other  by  a  secret 
enemy.  A  friend,  open  and  ingenuous,  admonishes  and 
wounds,  or  reproves  for  our  good ;  but  nothing  of  this  do 
we  get  from  a  crafty  enemy.  Instead  of  wounding  for  salu 
tary  purposes,  he  bestows  nothing  but  kisses  often  repeated, 
i.  e.  multiplied.  And  all  this  —  that  he  may  render  his 
victim  unsuspicious  and  unguarded;  and  so  strike  the  surer 
blow. 

(7)  An  appetite  satiated  loathes  the  honey-comb;  but  [to]  the 
craving  appetite  —  every  bitter  thing  is  sweet. 


382  PART  IV— CHAP.  XXVII.  8—10. 

That  is :  *  The  pampered  glutton  loathes  even  luxurious 
food ;  but  he  who  is  really  hungry,  will  eat  even  indifferent 
food  with  a  high  relish.'  —  I  have  supplied  the  prep,  to, 
where  our  idiom  demands  it.  In  the  Hebrew,  the  craving 
appetite  is  Nom.  absolute.  We  might  translate  thus :  as  to 
a  craving  appetite. 

(8)  Asa  bird  which  hath  wandered  from  her  nest,  so  is  the  man 
who  wandereth  from  his  place. 

His  place  =  his  home.  Such  a  wandering  bird  is  restless 
and  unsatisfied ;  and  so  is  a  man,  while  absent  from  home, 
specially  if  he  has  a  good  home. 

(9)  Oil  and  perfume  exhilarate  the  heart:  so  the  comity  of  one's 
friend,  which  springs  from  set  purpose  of  the  soul. 

Oil  here  doubtless  means  scented  or  perfumed  oil.  —  pn^ , 
sweetness,  applies  either  to  words  or  demeanor,  or  it  may 
include  both  =  comity.  —  The  suff.  in  sirtsn  is  altogether 
indefinite,  having  no  antecedent,  and  therefore  1  have  ren 
dered  the  word  one's  friend.  —  Which  springs  from  the  set 
purpose  of  the.  soul,  lit.  is  from  the  counsel  of  the  soul;  but 
the  literal  version  hardly  makes  an  intelligible  sense,  and 
therefore  I  have  translated  ad  sensum.  The  word  fiss  may 
imply  set  purpose,  for  the  root  has  the  meaning  to  decree. 
Comity  makes  glad  when  it  proceeds  from  the  real  design 
and  intention  of  him  who  manifests  it,  or  when  it  is  what 
his  soul  counsels  him  to  exhibit,  and  not  mere  conventional 
politeness.  We  say  :  k'  When  it  comes  from  the  bottom  of 
the  heart,"  when  we  mean  to  convey  such  an  idea  as  the 
Hebrew  here  comprises. 

(10)  Thine  own  friend,  and  thy  father's  friend,  forsake  not;  into 
the  house  of  thv  brother  enter  not,  in  the  day  of  thy  calamity;  better 
is  one  that  dwelleth  near,  than  a  brother  afar  off. 

That  is :  Go  to  well  and  long-tried  friends  in  the  day  of 
calamity ;  for  "  there  is  a  friend,  that  sticketh  closer  than  n 


PART  IV—  CHAP.  XXVII.  11—14.  383 

brother,"  Prov.  18  :  24.  The  last  clause  in  our  text,  makes 
all  plain.  Sentiment  :  '  Only  long-tried  friends  are  to  be 
trusted,  above  all  in  a  calamitous  time.  Even  the  ties  of 
consanguinity  are  not  always  to  be  relied  on.'  —  ma  may  be 
an  Ace.  of  place  ;  or  we  may  consider  xlan  here  as  a  kind 
of  transitive  verb,  §  135.  3.  d  ;  as  in  fact  it  sometimes  is  by 
usage. 

(11)  Be  wise,  my  son,  and  gladden  my  heart  :  that  I  may  have 
somewhat  to  answer  him  Avho  rcproacheth  me. 

This  maybe  interpreted  in  two  ways  :  (1)  If  a  child  is 
wise,  through  the  instruction  and  example  of  a  father,  this 
gives  good  testimony  against  any  slanderer  of  the  father's  char 
acter.  (2)  If  the  son  is  actually  wise,  then  he  may  aid  and 
counsel  his  father,  and  defend  him  against  unjust  reproaches. 
Bertheau  prefers  the  latter  ;  the  former  strikes  me  as  more 
obvious  and  natural.  —  ^:n,  thing  (as  often);  and  here  it 
means  something,  or  =  our  English  somewhat. 

(1:2)  The  wary  secth  tlu  evil  —  he  hideth  himself:  the  simple  pass 
on  —  the  are  unished. 


"intpa  (in  pause),  in  a  reflexive  sense,  §  50.  2.  a.  In  both 
clauses,  the  second  verb  is  asyndic,  i.  c.  it  is  wanting.  I 
have  made  the  dashes  to  perform  a  part  in  imitating  the 
Hebrew  mode  of  expression.  In  our  idiom,  we  should  say  : 
'The  wary  man,  seeing  the  evil,  hideth  himself;  the  simple, 
passing  on,  are  punished.'  But  the  Hebrews  seldom  employ 
participles,  in  such  a  case.  They  prefer  the  verb  ;  and 
doubtless  their  mode  of  construction  has  more  life  and 
energy.  In  22  :  3,  we  have  the  same  text,  with  i  inserted 
in  each  clause. 

(1.3)  Take  his  garment,  when  he  hath  become  surety  for  a  stranger; 
and  on  account  of  a  strange  woman,  do  thou  distrain  him. 

See  20:  16,  where  are  the  same  words,  fully  explained. 

(14)  Pie  who  hlesseth  his  friend  with  a  loud  voice,  early  in  the 
morning,  it  shall  he  counted  fto  him  us  a  curse. 


384  PART  IV-CHAP.  XXVII.  15. 


^•ha  ,  great,  when  applied  to  voice,  of  course  means  loud. 
—  S^S'iin  ,  Inf.  Hiph.  as  a  noun  or  adverb,  in  apposition 
with  i£h  ,  and  the  Ace.  of  time  ;  compare  «"i2ri!ii  ,  as  an 
adverb.  The  reason  why  it  will  be  counted  as  a  curse, 
rather  than  a  blessing  (which  it  would  seem  to  be),  is,  that 
such  unusual  or  extraordinary  developments  of  gratuitous 
zeal,  of  course  excite  suspicion  of  fraudulent  design,  They 
are  not  natural,  but  assumed. 

(15)  A  continual  dropping  in  a  rainy  day,  and  a  brawling  woman, 
arc  much  alike. 

For  the  first  clause,  see  19:3.  —  ^to  occurs  in  Hebrew 
only  here,  but  it  occurs  in  the  Syriac  and  Chaldee,  in  the 
sense  here  given  to  it.  The  root  "lib  (in  Arabic)  means  : 
to  Jill  with  ivater.  —  WHW?  ?  a  difficult  word  as  to  its  form  ; 
at  least  we  must  think  so,  if  we  look  at  the  criticisms  upon 
it.  Yet  the  solution  is  attended,  as  I  apprehend  the  matter, 
with  but  little  difficulty,  in  case  we  allow  (with  Ewald, 
§  132.  c),  that  the  Hebrews  had  a  Nithpael  conjugation. 
Examples  of  this  are  ^5S5  =  P3,  Deut.  21  :  8;  law  =  ro, 
Ezek.  23  :  48  ;  also  the  word  now  before  us.  This  word 
seems  then  to  be  a  fern.  Part,  of  Nithpael,  root  rviirj  ,  masc. 
Part.  rvirvi»,  fern,  rn-,  referring  to  woman,  its  nearest  ante 
cedent.  —  The  is  of  the  root  is  transposed,  as  usual,  in 
Hithpael.  The  only  trouble  here  is,  that  we  should  expect 
!"i*lTi2  instead  of  FTiri  .  —  But  is  not  the  Dagh.  here  resolved 
into  the  long  vowel,  Qamets,  and  so  the  reduplication 
omitted  ?  See  §  20.  3.  a.  b.  See  also  iia!b3  ,  tra^s  ,  and  comp. 
§  20.  3.  c.  Note.  Bertheau  does  not  here  recognize  the 
participial  form  in  question,  and  so  he  has  made  it  in  the 
Imperf.  first  pers.  plur.  voluntative  ;  in  other  words,  accord 
ing  to  him,  it  should  be  ttwsa  ,  i.  e.  accented  on  the  penult, 
and  it  has  a  paragogic  rt_  ,  which  may  reject  the  accent  from 
the  ultimate.  (But  only  a  portion  of  the  copies  so  accent 
it.)  He  confesses  that  the  meaning  thus  brought  out,  is 


PART  IV— CHAP.  XXVII.  1C,  17.  385 

strange,  viz.,  let  us  compare.  Truly  it  is  so,  for  there  is  no 
analogon  in  the  whole  book.  Moreover,  it  seems  to  be 
unnecessary.  Compare  Ewald,  §  132.  c. 

(16)  He  who  restrained!  her,  restrained!  the  wind;  and  his  right 
hand  cometh  upon  oil. 

The  wind  or  air  is  incapable  of  such  restraint  by  any 
ordinary  means,  as  will  prevent  its  escape  ;  and  like  to  this 
is  the  brawling  woman,  who  cannot  be  restrained.  —  Right 
hand  cometh  upon  oil,  is  explained  by  considering,  that  oil 
makes  a  thing  so  slippery  that  it  cannot  be  held  fast  in  one's 
grasp.  So  she  cannot  be  held  fast  or  restrained.  —  K^, 
see  the  root  No.  II.,  occurrit,  obviam  venit,  meets  with. 
That  is :  '  A  brawling  woman  is  incapable  of  being  tamed/ 

(17)  Iron  may  sharpen  iron  :  and  so  a  man  may  sharpen  the  coun 
tenance  of  his  friend. 

IJtj  (Qamets  in  pause)  is  Hiph.  Imperf.  apoc.  of  rnn  = 
Tin .  Ges.  makes  it  from  the  verb  sy  ,  but  with  much  diffi 
culty.  Much  better  is  it,  with  C.  B.  Michaelis,  Bertheau, 
and  others,  to  suppose  a  root  rnn .  For  'irn,  Imperf., 
abridged,  see  §  74.  IV.  note  14.  —  We  can  easily  understand 
how  a  knife  can  be  sharpened  by  a  steel ;  but  what  means 
the  other  clause  ?  To  sharpen  the  countenance,  is  hardly  sus 
ceptible  of  any  other  meaning  than  that  of  making  the  visage 
look  stern  or  severe,  i.  e.  to  be  angry.  We  say  of  a  frown 
ing  man  :  '  He  looked  sharp  at  his  enemy.'  But  then  comes 
the  question  :  Why  should  one  man  provoke  another  ?  — 
This,  however,  is  not  the  real  meaning.  It  is  not  a  command 
to  excite  or  provoke,  but  a  supposed  case  ;  and  when  this 
occurs,  then  let  a  man  enter  the  list  of  controversy  (if  he 
must  do  so)  with  a  man  like  himself,  and  not  with  a  child, 
or  an  inferior;  see  Judg.  8  :  21.  In  other  words  :  k  If  men 
must  enter  into  contest,  let  the  antagonists  be  worthy  of  the 
strife.'  Or  it  may  be  taken  passively  ;  viz..  let  not  a  man  be 
33 


386  PART  IV— CHAP.  XXVJI.  18—21. 

angry  at  the  mischief  done  him  by  a  child,  and  not  by  a  man. 
Should  he  so  do,  then  he  would  act  childishly.  So  Bertheau. 
I  prefer  the  preceding  exegesis  ;  but  the  verse  is  somewhat 
obscure. 

(18)  He  who  kcepcth  the  %-tree.  shall  eat  the  fruit  thereof;  lie  who 
giiiirdctli  his  master  shall  be  honored. 

That  is,  the  master  will  reward  the  keeping  or  guarding, 
by  suitable  retribution ;  just  as  the  fig-tree  feeds  him  who 
keeps  it,  and  thus  makes  him  a  retribution  for  his  labor. 

(19)  As  in  water  (ace  answevcth  to  face,  so  doth  the  heart  of  man 
to  man. 

C"E3 ,  art.  before  the  name  of  a  substance ;  the  Ace.  of 
place  =  in  water •,  and  designating  the  where.  —  Face  to  face, 
i.  e.  water  reflects  back  the  image  of  the  face.  —  The  heart  of 
man  is  reflected  back  (so  to  speak)  by  the  heart  of  another 
man  ;  i.  e.  each  has  corresponding  views  and  sympathies,  so 
that  one  can  reason  from  his  own  heart  to  that  of  others,  at 
least  in  many  respects  ;  for  the  properties  of  human  nature 
are  common. 

(20)  The  under-world  and  destruction  are  never  satisfied;  and  so 
the  eyes  of  man  are  never  satisfied. 

The  grave  swallows  up  all,  and  yet  remains  ever  unsatis 
fied,  for  it  is  always  craving  more ;  and  so  the  eye  is  never 
satiated  with  seeing.  —  The  Qeri  "pTQX  is  the  more  usual 
form ;  but  this  may  be  abridged,  as  in  the  Kethibh  ri'nax , 
the  n  being  merely  a  fulcrum. 

(21)  A  finin<r-pot  for  silver,  and  a  furnace  for  t;old  ;  so  is  a  man  in 
respect  to  his  praise. 

A  fining-pot  will  disclose  the  true  silver,  and  the  furnace 
the  true  gold ;  and  so  a  man's  praise  will  disclose  his  true 
character.  Praise  is  apt  to  puff  up  men.  :md  make  them 
self-conceited.  If  it  does,  or  does  not,  produce  this  effect,  it 


PART  IV— CHAP.  XXVII.  22—25.  387 

will,  in  either  alternative,  make  their  true  character  known. 
"  It  is  a  fining-pot." 

(•22)  If  thou  sliouldo.st  beat  :i  fool  in  ;i  mortar,  in  the  midst  of 
crushed  grain.  \viih  a  pestle,  his  foolishness  will  not  depart  from  him. 

Another  of  those  stringent  sarcasms  with  which  fools  are 
assailed,  in  this  book  above  all  others  in  the  Bible.  —  Sen 
timent  :  '  No  chastisement,  however  severe,  will  cure  a  fool 
of  his  folly.'  Such  is  the  obstinacy  of  the  men,  who  are 
here  characterized  by  the  appellation  of  fools. 

(23)  Look  well  to  thy  flock;  attend  carefully  to  thy  herds  ;  (24) 
For  abundance  will  not  he  perpetual  ;  not  even  a  diadem  [will  be] 
for  generation  after  generation. 

Precepts  economical,  addressed  to  husbandmen.  —  STJ, 
not  unfrequently,  as  here,  means  to  take  knowledge  of  in  the 
sense  of  caring  for,  looking  to.  The  Inf.  abs.  here,  joined 
with  the  definite  mode,  gives  intensity  to  the  expression. 
Hence  the  version,  look  well.  —  ^b  rv":3 ,  means  to  fix  one's 
mind  or  attention  on  a  thing.  —  Take  good  care  of  your  prop 
erty,  for  although  there  now  is  an  abundance  of  wealth,  it 
will  not  last  always,  not  even  a  diadem,  i.  e.  regal  domain  or 
authority,  will  be  permanent.  —  nx  is  a  strong  negative, 
when  it  follows  xb  in  a  preceding  clause  ;  see  Lex.  s.  v.  C.  c. 
—  After  diadem,  the  verb  of  existence  or  continuance  is 
plainly  implied,  as  inserted  in  the  version.  In  plain  words : 
'  Not  even  regal  wealth  is  secure  and  lasting.' 

(ic'5)  The  <rra-s  passeth  away,  the  tender  herbage  showcth  itself, 
and  the  herb-;  of  tlie  mountains  are  gathered. 

nsr,  sometimes  designates  going  away  into  exile  ;  here,  it 
denotes  the  passing  away  of  the  grass  from  its  location,  when 
the  time  to  harvest  it  is  come.  Then  spring  up  the  tender 
shoots  (X'r'n)  from  its  roots,  supplying  pasture.  Fodder, 
moreover,  is  laid  up  in  stock,  which  comes  from  the  moun 
tain-bushes  and  grass,  rin*^".  Such  is  the  provision  to  be 
made  for  flocks  and  herds.  Then  follows  their  thrift. 


388  PART  IV— CHAP.  XXVIII.  1,  2. 

(26)  Lambs  arc  for  thy  clothing,  and  the  price  of  a  field  is  bucks. 

That  is,  lambs,  when  sold,  purchase  thy  clothing ;  and 
bucks  will  fetch  a  sufficient  price  to  purchase  land.  Bucks 
are  the  males  of  either  sheep  or  goats  ;  so  the  German  : 
Bocken.  In  this  way,  permanent  property  may  be  acquired, 

(27)  Moreover,    there  will  be  a  sufficiency  of  goat's  milk  for  thy 
nourishment,  for  the  nourishment  of  thy  household,  and  means  of 
living  for  thy  maidens. 

D^n ,  lit.  life,  here,  means  of  life  or  of  living.  In  other 
words  :  '  If  you  look  well  to  your  farm,  it  will  yield  whatever 
you  may  want  for  food,  or  clothing,  or  even  for  the  purchase 
of  more  land.  It  will,  in  a  word,  make  you  truly  rich.' 

CHAP.  XXVIII.  1—28. 

( 1 )  The  wicked  flee,  when  no  one  pursueth  ;  but  the  righteous  are 
bold  as  a  lion. 

*!W ,  plur.  of  &w ,  because  the  Nom.  y^  (sing.)  is  generic. 
—  Are  bold,  lit.  are  confident ;  but  here  the  verb  na:r;  is  sing. 
with  a  Nom.  in  the  plural  —  a  case,  therefore,  of  specializing 
or  individualizing,  where  the  idea  is,  that  each  one  of  the 
collective  (plur.)  body  is,  or  does,  so  and  so,  §  143.  4.  Comp. 
Gen.  49  :  9,  as  to  the  simile.  —  Meaning  :  '  The  wicked  are 
full  of  fears  ;  while  the  righteous  repose  in  quiet  safety,  not 
being  apprehensive  of  any  danger.' 

(2)  Because  of  the  transgression  of  a  land,  many  are  its  princes; 
but  because  of  a  man  of  understanding,  he  who  regardeth  what  is  right 
shall  prolong  [his  days]. 

When  a  nation  transgresses,  God  gives  them  up  to  the 
conquest  of  invaders,  and  to  a  partition  of  territory,  or  to 
internal  factions  which  divide  and  distract  the  country.  — 
The  last  clause  is  difficult.  Berth. :  "  So  soon  as  men  [the 
people]  become  intelligent  and  knowing,  then  he  [the  prince] 


PART  IV— CHAP.  XXVIII.  3—5.  389 

lives  long,"  i.  e.  the  one  and  only  prince  of  the  country  reigns 
long  and  undisturbed.  —  I  doubt  this  exegesis.  It  is  plain 
that  5~;ss  and  "prr;  c^xa  are  two  opposites,  which  are  con 
trasted  ;  the  one  leads  to  division  and  partition,  and  conse 
quently  to  uncertainty  of  life  and  happiness ;  the  other 
governs  the  country  in  such  a  way,  that  all  who  know  and 
practise  what  is  right,  have  a  prolonged  season  of  quiet  under 
him.  —  *3  I  take  to  be  a  noun-adjective  here ;  and  yr-*  as 
designating  another  person  (i.  e.  a  citizen  or  subject)  than 
the  intelligent  man,  who  seems  plainly  to  be  the  ruler.  The 
two  clauses  are  partially,  but  not  fully  and  directly,  antithetic. 
Many  princes  occasion  a  state  of  things,  where  all  is  unsafe. 
But  a  sole  and  intelligent  ruler  will  prolong  the  life  and  safety 
of  those  who  cleave  to  rectitude.  —  Tp"^.'1  >  prolong  ==•  live  long, 
for  days  are  implied  after  it,  which  are  elsewhere  expressed. 
See  Lex.  under  Hiphil,  and  Prov.  29 :  16. 

(3)  A  poor   man.  and  yet  an  oppressor  of  the  poor,  is  a   shower 
sweeping  so  that  there  is  no  bread. 

Probably  an  indigent  ruler  of  a  subordinate  class  is  here 
meant,  who  oppresses  the  poor  in  order  to  enrich  himself;  a 
thing  very  common  in  the  East  and  also  the  West.  But  he 
can  no  more  become  rich  by  such  means,  than  a  violent 
shower,  which  sweeps  away  the  surface  of  the  ground,  can 
bring  forward  prosperously  a  crop  of  grain  which  has  been 
sown.  In  other  words  :  '  Overdoing,  in  both  cases,  prevents 
a  crop  from  being  gathered.' 

(4)  Those  who  forsake  the  law,  praise  the  wicked;  but   they  Avho 
keep  the  law.  rouse  up  themselves  against  them. 

The  word  y&^  is  used  generically  here.  Hence  the  plur. 
suff.  in  QS.  Meaning:  'The  impious  eulogize  the  wicked; 
the  pious  oppose  them.' 

(5)  Evil  men  do  not  understand  justice ;  but  those  who  seek  Jehovah 
understand  everything. 

33* 


3^0  PART  IV—  CHAP.  XXVIII.  G—  10. 

Do  not  understand,  i.  e.  have  no  adequate  and  proper  sense 
of  it.  —  Understand  everything,  viz.,  everything  that  relates 
to  right  and  duty. 

(())  Better  is  the  poor  man,  who  walkctli  in  his  integrity,  than  lie 
who  is  perverse  by  double  dealing,  although  he  is  rich. 


O'p'"!'?  ,  dual,  two  ways,  because  such  a  man  now  pursues 
this  course,  and  then  that,  in  order  that  he  may  deceive.  The 
version  gives  the  sense  aimed  at,  although  not  literal.  —  x  JitTi  , 
and  yet  he  is,  here  =  although  he  is.  Sentiment  :  '  An  upright 
poor  man,  is  better  than  a  perverse  rich  one.' 

(7)  He  thatkeepeth  the  law,  is  a  discreet  son  ;  but  he  who  delightcth 
in  prodigals,  will  bring  his  father  to  shame. 


nan  ,  delighteth  in  =  ns'n  ,  Lex.  s.  v.  No.  3.  He  will  behave 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  put  his  father  to  shame. 

(8)  He  who  augmenteth  his  wealth  by  usurious  increase,  he  shall 
gather  it  for  giving  alms  to  the  poor. 

The  two  words  ^5  and  r^S^tt  are  both  applied  to  the 
interest  of  money.  United,  as  here,  they  are  either  intensive 
==  excessive  interest,  or  else  a  Hendiadys  in  which  one  acts 
the  part  of  an  adjective,  as  in  the  version.  —  Gather  it,  viz., 
his  wealth.  —  "S'inb  ,  lit.  for  compassionating,  i.  e.  in  the  way 
of  administering  to  their  wants.  The  usurer  meant  not  so, 
in  amassing  his  property  ;  but  Providence  orders  things  in 
such  a  manner,  that  this  wealth  will  come  into  the  hands  of 
some  liberal  and  compassionate  person,  who,  by  means  of  it, 
relieves  the  wants  of  the  poor. 

(9)  He  who  turneth  away  his  ear  from  hearing  the  law,  even  his 
prayer  shall  be  an  abomination. 

The  impious  cannot  be  sincere  in  their  prayers;  and 
consequently,  they  are  rejected  because  they  are  hypocritical. 

(10)  He  who  leadeth  astray  the  upright  in  an  evil  wav,  into  his  own 
pit  shall  he  fall;  but  the  upright  shall  inherit  good. 


PART  IV—  CHAP.  XXVIII.  11—15.  891 

That  is,  he  who  leads  the  good  astray,  in  order  to  do  them 
mischief,  shall  himself  fall  into  mischief.  Instead  of  perish 
ing  in  the  pit  which  was  dug  for  them,  the  upright  shall 
become  possessors  of  good. 

(11)  A  rich  mail  is  wise  in  his  own  view;  but  the  poor  man.  po>- 
sessed  of  understanding,  will  search  him  out. 

A  conceited  wise  man  is  easily  understood  by  an  intelligent 
poor  man,  and  easily  exposed.  His  riches  will  not  save  him 
from  such  disgrace. 

(12)  When  the  righteous  rejoice,  great  is  the  glorying;  but  when 
the  wicked  rise  up,  a  man  hideth  himself. 


rnxsn  ,  (in  pause),  not  only  glory,  but  glorying.  — 
lit.  is  made  to  be  sought  after,  that  is,  he  withdraws  himself 
so  that  one  cannot  easily  find  him  =  hideth  himself.  So  Ges. 
in  Lex. 

(13)  He  who  co\ereth  his  sins,  shall  not  prosper;  but  he  wlio  con- 
fesseth  and  forsaketh  [them],  shall  find  mercy. 

See  a  striking  exposition  of  this,  in  Ps.  xxxii.  Conceal 
ment  jf  sin  exempts  not  men  from  punishment  by  a  Being 
who  knows  all  things  ;  confession  and  repentance  are  indis 
pensable  to  the  obtaining  of  mercy.  —  crrn,  (Qamets  in 
pause),  in  Pual,  shall  be  the  subject  of  mercy. 

(14)  Blessed  is  the  man  who  fearcth  always;  but  he  who  hardeneth 
his  heart  shall  fall  into  evil. 

Feareth,  viz.,  to  offend  God.  —  Hardeneth  his  heart,  means  : 
1  Renders  it  insensible  to  admonition  or  reproof.' 

(15)  A  roaring  lion,  and  a  ranging  bear,  is  a  wicked  ruler  over  a 
poor  people, 

That  is,  by  his  rapacity  he  crushes  and  devours  them,  even 
as  those  wild  beasts  do  their  prey. 


392  PART  IV—  CHAP.  XXVIII.  16—20. 

(16)  As  to  a  prince  who  lackcth  understanding,  and  multiplieth 
oppression  —  he  who  hatcth  covctousness  sliall  prolong  his  days. 

In  other  words  :  'As  to  a  foolish  and  greedy  oppressor  — 
I  have  only  to  say,  that  the  man  of  an  opposite  character 
shall  obtain  the  blessing  of  long  life.'  Of  course,  he  (the 
oppressor)  cannot  obtain  it.  —  The  Kethibh  reads  :  iswto  , 
const,  plur.  ;  the  Qeri,  Xib  ,  in  the  sing,  const.  The  latter  is 
rather  preferable,  because  the  verb  which  follows  is  singular. 

(17)  A  man  oppressed  with  life's  blood,  let  him  lice  to  the  pit,  let 
no  man  stay  him. 

Murder  demands  suitable  retribution.  No  one  should 
interfere  to  prevent  it.  The  precept  is  older  than  Solomon, 
or  even  Moses  ;  see  Gen.  9:6.  In  the  older  editions,  fix 
is,  by  Rabbinic  conceit,  printed  thus  :  D^x  ,  i.  e.  with  a  minute 
X  See  Mich.  Bib. 

(18)  He  who  walketh  uprightly  shall  be  safe;  but  he  who  is  perverse 
in  double  ways,  shall  fall  in  one  [of  them]. 

Integrity  is  safety  ;  double-dealing  will  end  in  a  fall.  — 
nnxs  in  pause,  in  one,  fern.,  as  7^  (to  which  it  refers)  occa 
sionally  is.  The  Seghol  (instead  of  Pattah)  in  rnx  ,  comes 
by  reason  of  the  Qamets  after  it  under  a  Guttural,  §  27.  n. 
2.  b  ;  the  Qamets  (for  _  )  because  of  the  pause. 

(19)  He  who  tilleth  his  field,  shall  be  satisfied  Avith  bread;  and  he 
who  folio  weth  after  vain  persons,  shall  have  plenty  of  poverty. 

Industry  makes  adequate  provision  for  our  wants  ;  but  an 
idle  and  profligate  man  will  suffer  much  from  want. 

(20)  A  man  of  great  faithfulness   is  rich   in  blessings;  but  he  \vho 
hasteneth  to  become  rich,  shall  not  be  innocent. 


,  plur.  intens.,  and  so  translated.  —  n^  ,  an  adjective 
here,  as  the  Maqqeph  indicates,  =  abundant,  rich.  —  Hasten 
eth  to  become  rich,  that  is,  by  fraud,  or  violence,  or  oppression, 


PART  IV— CHAP.  XXVIII.  21—24.  393 

instead  of  faithful  and  steady  industry.     Cupidity  always 
tempts  to  fraud  or  oppression. 

(21)  To  respect  persons  is  not  good  ;  for  because  of  a  piece  of  bread 
a  man  will  become  a  transgressor. 

Q15Q— 1311 ,  lit.  to  know  in  the  sense  of  favoring  ;  root  133 , 
and  it  is  here  in  the  Inf.  Hiph.  "12^1 ,  with  the  Tseri  shortened 
because  of  the  Maqqeph.  By  this  phrase,  (as  we  have  seen 
above,  24  :  23,  q.  v.),  is  meant  to  show  partiality  for.  —  Be 
cause  of  a  piece  of  bread,  (spoken  ironically,  and  it  means  as 
much  as  to  say,  for  an  insignificant  bribe),  a  man  will  show 
partiality  in  judging.  That  (partiality)  cannot  be  good,  i.  e. 
it  must  be  very  evil,  when  even  a  small  bribe  will  purchase 
it,  and  thus  occasion  much  mischief. 

(22)  A  man  of  an  evil  eye  hasteth  for  wealth  ;  and  he  knoweth  not 
that  want  shall  come  upon  him. 

The  man  of  an  evil  eye,  is  the  envious  and  covetous  man. 
—  Vj?3»  Part.  Niph.,  lit.  is  urgent  or  hastening.  In  Piel  this 
~ense  is  more  clearly  developed  ;  but  we  find  it  also  in  Niph. 
No.  3,  in  the  Lex.  —  "pnb,  with  the  art,  either  because  it  is 
abstract,  or  else  because  it  is  the  specific  name  of  a  thing. 

(23)  A  man  who  reproveth   shall  afterwards  find  favor,  more  than 

he  who  iiattercth  with  his  tongue. 

•nnx  =  inx ,  an  adverb.  Ges.  thus  :  "  after  me,  i.  e.  fol 
lowing  my  precepts  ;"  for  he  regards  it  as  the  plur.  with  suff. 
"i— ,  my.  To  say  the  least,  this  is  a  doubtful  solution  —  cer 
tainly  a  very  unusual  one,  in  Hebrew.  Sentiment :  '  Those 
who  are  reformed  by  admonition,  will  afterwards  feel  grateful 
to  their  monitor.' 

(24)  He  who  robheth  his  father  and  his  mother,  and  saith  :  No  harm  ! 
he  is  a  companion  to  a  destroyer. 

No  harm !  because,  forsooth,  the  property  is  going  to  be 
his  own,  ere  long.  —  Such  a  man  is  to  be  ranked  with  destroyers 


394  PART  IV—  CHAP.  XXVIII.  25—28. 

or  wasters,  i.  e.  with  men  who  desperately  do  every  kind  of 
violence  and  wrong,  Compare  Matt.  15  :  4  —  6,  which  is 
quite  analogous. 

(25)  He  who  is  of  a  haughty  spirit  will  stir  up  strife  :  but  he  who 
trusteth  in  Jehovah  shall  have  an  abundance. 

Stt*!  ,  lit.  ample.,  expanded.  The  imagery  is  borrowed  from 
inflation  ;  just  as  we  say,  puffed  up,  in  a  tropical  way. 
Hence  haughty.  —  "j^"1.,  Pual,  lit.  shall  be  made  fat. 

(26)  Whosoever  trusteth  in  his  own  heart,  he  is  a  fool  ;  but  who 
ever  walkcth  wisely,  he  shall  be  delivered. 

The  at  sin  ,  in  both  cases,  makes  intensity  of  specification. 
—  Be  delivered,  viz.,  from  the  evils  which  self-confidence 
occasions.  —  Walketh  wisely,  here  seems  to  mean  as  much  as 
puts  his  trust  in  God,  and  not  in  himself  ;  for  this  is  true 
wisdom. 

(27)  As  to  him  who  giveth  to  the  poor  —  there  shall  be  no  lack; 
but  as  to  him  who  hideth  his  eyes  —  there  will  be  plenty  of  curses. 

The  version  discloses  the  form  of  the  original,  as  to  the 
Nom.  independent.  —  The  liberal  giver  shall  not  come  to 
want,  because  God  will  bless  him.  —  Hideth  his  eyes,  viz., 
from  noticing  the  wants  of  the  poor.  —  S*]  ,  with  a  Maqqeph 
following,  shows  itself  to  be  an  adj.  here.  But  an  adj.,  taken 
as  neuter,  makes  the  abstract  noun,  as  in  the  version. 

(28)  When  the  wicked  rise  up   a  man  hideth  himself,   and  when 
they  perish  the  righteous  increase. 


,  Inf.  Kal.  with  suff.  —  The  wicked,  by  their  op 
pression  and  violence,  strike  such  terror  into  the  good,  as  to 
make  them  withdraw,  in  order  to  seek  a  place  of  refuge. 
When  such  oppressors  are  removed,  then  the  righteous  are 
multiplied. 


PART  IV— CHAP.  XXIX.  1—5.  395 


CHAP.  XXIX,  1—27. 

(1)  A  man  who  is  often  reproved  and  hardcncth  his  neck,  shall  bo 
ouddenly  destroyed,  and  there  shall  be  no  remedy. 

nins'in,  develops  strikingly  the  plur.  intens.  The  mean 
ing  is  not  that  of  a  man  who  has  been  only  once  reproved, 
but  plainly  that  of  a  man  often  reproved,  i.  e.  one  to  whom 
many  reproofs  have  been  directed.  —  Hardening  his  neck, 
means  pertinaciously  going  on  in  his  evil  ways.  His  neck 
does  not  feel  the  yoke  of  reproof  to  be  galling ;  for  it  is  so 
hard  that  he  heeds  not  the  yoke.  — "i~£h  is  intense  =  shall 
be  shivered  in  pieces. 

(2)  When  the  righteous  increase,  the  people  rejoice:  but  when  the 
wicked  bear  rule,  the  people  bemoan  themselves. 

The  righteous  are  a  blessing  to  any  community,  and  the 
people  have  reason  to  rejoice  in  their  increase:  but  the 
domination  of  the  wicked  will  make  them  grieve,  naso , 
Niph.  Imperf.  reflexive,  bemoan  themselves. 

(3)  The  man  \vho  loveth  wisdom,  shall  make  his  father  glad;  but 
he  who  hath  pleasure  in  harlots,  will  waste  wealth. 

nsp ,  Part,  of  siri  —  ns'n ,  see  in  Lex.  It  is  so  far  transi 
tive  as  to  put  the  object  of  pleasure  in  the  Ace.  after  it.  — 
Waste  wealth,  viz.,  his  father's  wealth,  and  so  make  the  latter 
sorrowful,  instead  of  making  him  glad. 

(4)  A  kin»-  by  justice  vail  establish  the  land  :  but  a  man  of  presents 
will  destroy  it. 

Man  of  presents,  is  one  who  loves  them  and  gladly  accepts 
them,  as  bribes  for  partiality.  Such  a  ruler  will  ruin  his 
country.  —  The  last  verb,  with  suff.  ns_ . 

(5)  A  man  who  speaketh  smoothly  against  his  neighbor.,  *p 
a  net  over  his  steps. 


396  PART  IV-CHAP.  XXIX.  6—9. 

That  the  smooth  speaking,  in  this  case,  is  in  malam  partem, 
is  made  clear  by  \>y ,  against.  The  basis  of  the  idea  is  that 
of  smoothing  (p'^n)  a  thing  by  rubbing  it  against  another.  — 
A  net  over,  etc.,  means  a  net  so  spread,  as  to  entangle  him 
and  arrest  his  steps,  or  make  him  fall. 

(6)  In  the  transgression  of  a  bad  man  there  is  a  snare;  but  the 
righteous  shall  sing  and  be  glad. 

By  transgressing,  a  man  brings  on  himself  a  snare,  in 
which  he  may  be  caught  and  made  to  stumble ;  but  the 
righteous  shall  go  on  and  prosper,  and  so  they  shall  sing 
aloud  for  joy.  Not  that  they  rejoice  because  the  wicked 
are  ensnared,  but  because  God  gives  them  safety  and  pros 
perity.  —  'p'vi  (from  •S'n)  is  an  uncommon  form  ;  but  there  is 
a  number  of  such  in  the  Hebrew  Bible ;  see  §  66.  n.  9. 

(7)  The  righteous  takcth  knowledge  of  the  cause  of  the  poor;  the 
wicked  will  not  understand  knowledge. 

The  righteous  design  to  aid  the  poor,  by  taking  cogni 
zance  of  their  cause,  when  they  claim  their  just  dues  ;  the 
wicked  will  never  take  proper  pains  to  gain  a  knowledge 
of  it. 

(8)  Men  of  scorn  blow  up  a  tlamc  in  the  city  ;  but  the  wise  cause 
anger  to  abate. 

"rnsn,  from  rpQ,  to  blow,  puff,  to  blow  up,  e.  g.  a  fire,  that 
is,  to  enkindle  it.  Hence  the  tropical  meaning,  to  inflame, 
i.  e.  to  blow  upon  or  enkindle  the  passions  or  prejudices  of  a 
city,  for  the  sake  of  leading  the  people  to  rash  proceedings. 
—  W'ir ,  cause  to  return,  to  turn  back,  and  consequently  it  is 
equivalent  to  abating. 

(9)  Doth  a  wise  man  contend  in  a  cause  with  a  fool  ?     He  will  be 
angry,  and  will  laugh,  but  there  is  no  pacification. 

That  is,  he  will  at  one  time  be  agitated  with  rage,  at 
another  with  scornful  laughter  ;  a  quiet  and  considerate 
state  of  mind  he  will  not  come  to. 


PART  IV—  CHAP.  XXIX.  10—14.  397 

(10)  Men  of  blood  will  hate  the  man  of  integrity;  but  the  upright 
will  seek  anxiousl    for  his  life. 


^  ,  Piel,  with  Dagh.  in  p  omitted,  because  this  would 
require  a  movable  Sheva,  §  20.  3.  b.  It  is  a  very  common 
method  of  abridging  words.  Lit.  seek  his  life  ;  which  usually 
means  :  seek  it  in  order  to  take  it  away.  Here,  in  bonam 
partem,  in  order  to  preserve  it  ;  but  to  avoid  the  equivoque, 
I  have  slightly  changed  the  manner  of  expression,  while  the 
sense  is  retained. 

(11)  A  fool  will  pour  out  all  his  indignation;  but  a  wise  man  will 
afterwards  try  to  appease  it. 

I'rrti  ,  as  in  our  English  phrase  :  "  He  showed  much 
spirit"  The  wise  man  will  deal  gently  with  such  an  one, 
and  try  to  soften  and  appease  him.  The  Piel  form  of  the 
last  verb  gives  room  for  the  version,  try  to  appease  ;  for  to 
appease  is  the  primary  sense  of 


(12)  Doth  a  ruler  listen  to  a  false  report^  —  all  his  servants  are 
wicked. 

That  is,  if  the  ruler  loves  to  deal  in  slander  and  falsehood 
—  then  all  his  underlings  will  learn  to  imitate  him  in  his 
vices,  and  thus  become  wicked. 

(13)  The  poor  and  the  man  of  exactions  meet  together;  the  eyes 
>f  them  both  Jehovah  cnlighteneth. 

Meet  together  in  a  hostile  way,  or  in  conflict,  seems  to  be 
the  idea.  The  hardly  exacting  man  is  resisted  by  the 
oppressed  poor  man.  —  Jehovah  has  given  to  both  the  light 
of  life,  here  designated  by  enlightening  the  eyes,  i.  e.  making 
them  to  sparkle  with  living  power.  Of  course,  both  are 
equally  dependent  on  him,  and  both  under  his  supervision  ; 
and  therefore  the  one  can  have  no  right  to  bear  hard  on 
the  other,  and  the  oppressed  may  hope  for  vindication. 

(14)  As  to  the  king  who  judgeth  the  poor  with  faithfulness-     his 
throne  shall  be  established  forever. 

34 


398  PART  IV— CHAP.  XXIX.  15—19. 

A  faithful  discharge  of  duties  toward  the  poor  and  op 
pressed,  will  result  in  the  firm  establishment  of  a  throne. 

(15)  The  rod  and  reproof  will  give  wisdom ;  and  the  lad  who  is 
freed  [from  them],  will  cause  shame  to  his  mother. 

Compare  23 :  13,  and  also  13  :  24,  where  the  same  senti 
ment  is  found,  with  some  little  variation  of  phraseology. 

(16)  When  the  wicked  increase,  transgression  increaseth;  but  the 
righteous  shall  look  on  when  they  f.ill. 

Be  the  wicked  ever  so  flourishing,  to  appearance,  yet  the 
time  of  their  fall  will  come,  which  the  good  will  witness.  — 
a  nx'n  has  usually  the  meaning  of  looking  on  anything  with 
satisfaction.  But  we  should  not  associate  with  this  the  idea, 
that  the  good  have  any  delight  in  the  plagues  of  the  wicked, 
in  themselves  considered,  but  that  they  rejoice  because  the 
time  of  their  deliverance  has  come.  Comp.  Rev.  11: 17,  18. 
18:20. 

(17)  Chasten  thy  son,  and  he   shall  give  thee  rest;  yea,  he  shall 
give  delight  to  thy  soul. 

*!&;;,  Piel,  Pattah  in  the  ultimate,  because  of  the  1. — 
fc^?^ ,  of  an  intensive  form  and  meaning ;  which  is  ex 
pressed  in  the  version. 

(18)  Where  there  is  no  vision,  the  people  become  dissolute  :  but  he 
who  keepeth  the  law  —  blessed  is  he  ! 

Vision  means  here  prophetic  vision  or  revelation.  —  Dis 
solute,  i.  e.  loosed  from  restraint  in  a  moral  sense ;  compare 
Ex.  32 :  25,  which  fully  confirms  this  sense  of  V~te* .  In 
such  a  case,  when  deprived  of  prophetic  teachers,  the  only 
recourse  is  to  the  Law ;  the  which,  if  a  man  will  diligently 
attend  to  it,  will  render  him  happy. 

(19)  By  words  a  servant  will  not  be  corrected  ;  although  he  under 
stands,  yet  will  he  not  make  answer. 

Something  more   than  mere  words  must  be  employed,  to 


PART  IV— CHAP.  XXIX.  20-22.  399 

secure  the  ready  obedience  of  some  servants.  The  words 
they  may  understand ;  but  they  will  regard  them  as  mere 
words  and  nothing  more,  unless  some  more  effectual  cor 
rective  be  applied.  —  The  answering  does  not  here  mean  a 
reply  only  in  ivords,  but  also  in  doing  the  things  which  are 
correspondent  with  the  commands  given,  i.  e.  making  a 
practical  answer. 

(20)  Sccst  thou  a  man  hasty  in  his  word.-,  there  is  more  hope  for  a 
fool  than  for  him. 

See  the  proverb  in  26  :  12.  It  seems  to  be  the  same  gnome 
in  all,  but  still  it  was  a  little  modified  when  it  was  inserted 
in  the  different  sources  of  selection,  which  "the  men  of 
Hezekiah"  had  before  them. 

(21)  As  to  him  who  bringeth  up  delicately  hid  servant  from  child 
hood,  at  last  he  will  surely  be  a  son. 

pSBE ,  not  elsewhere  in  Hebrew,  but  frequent  in  Aramaean, 
in  the  sense  here  given  by  the  version.  —  ""Z'o ,  the  abstract 
form,  i.  e.  childhood ;  *,r5  means  lad.  —  "irvnnx ,  lit.  in  the 
end,  or  sequel  of  it ;  for  I  take  i  here  as  relating  generally 
to  the  whole  affair.  It  is  the  Ace.  of  time.  If  the  pronoun 
suff.  must  be  made  more  definite,  then  it  must  relate  to 
servant,  and  mean  the  after-part  of  his  life.  The  sense  is 
virtually  the  same  in  both  cases.  —  "pra ,  is  unique,  being 
found  nowhere  else  in  the  Bible.  It  is  probably  made 
from  "*:,  offspring^  by  prefixing  a  formative  a.  So  the 
Rabbins ;  and  the  sense  is  good.  The  ancient  versions 
seem  to  have  read  a  different  word  here.  The  Vulgate 
only  approaches  our  text.  This  renders  "^  by  contuma- 
cem  ;  and  so  Ewald,  and  others,  who  compare  the  Arabic 
"(15^2,  which  means  ungrateful.  The  sense  of  this  is  not  bad  ; 
but  the  other  meaning  given  above,  has  more  point. 

(22)  An  angry  man  will  stir  up  strife  ;  and  a  man  enraged  abounds 
in  transgression. 


400  PART  IV—  CHAP.  XXIX.  23—27. 


sa  ,  means  an  irascible  man,  one  who  easily  and 
often  becomes  enraged.  —  Anger,  of  course,  prompts  to  do 
wrong. 

(23)  The  haughtiness  of  a  man  will  bring  him  low;  but  humble 
ness  of  spirit  will  obtain  honor. 

Compare  25  :  6,  seq.  16  :  19.  For  rparn  ,  compare  11:  16. 
Lit.  this  means  to  grasp,  to  lay  fast  hold  of. 

(24)  He  who  maketh  a  division  with  a  thief,  hateth  his  own  life  ; 
he  heareth  the  curse,  and  yet  will  not  reveal. 

Hateth  his  own  life,  see  remarks  on  8  :  36,  respecting  such 
meiosis.  He  acts  as  though  he  hated  it,  by  thus  wickedly 
exposing  it  to  danger.  —  The  curse,  namely,  that  which  is 
pronounced  on  him  who  concealeth  a  theft;  see  Lev.  5:1, 
and  comp.  Judges  17:2.  —  But  although  he  is  brought 
under  this  curse,  in  case  of  concealment,  still  he  will  not 
reveal  the  thief,  with  whom  he  has  become  a  partaker. 

(25)  The  fear  of  man  will  lay  a  snare  ;  but  he  who  trustcth   in 
Jehovah  shall  be  protected. 

Men  will  through  fear  do  that  which  they  disapprove  ; 
and  so  they  are  ensnared.  —  Trusteth  in  Jehovah,  viz.,  trusts 
that  he  will  protect  those  who  do  right,  and  fears  not  the 
consequences.  —  Be  protected,  lit.  be  elevated  to  a  high  place, 
and  therefore  safe  from  attack. 

(26)  Many  seek  the  face  of  a  ruler;  but  from  Jehovah  cometh  the 
right  of  a  man. 

Many  repair  to  rulers,  in  order  to  obtain  their  favor  by 
flattery  ;  but  it  is  God  only  who  will  and  can  do  perfect 
justice  to  all.  That  is  :  (  Look  more  to  heaven,  and  less  to 
rulers.' 

(27)  An  abomination  of  the  righteous,  is  the  man  of  misehief  ;  but 
the  abomination  of  the  wicked,  is  he  who  is  upright  in  his  wav. 

The  righteous  abhor  wrong-doers  ;  but  the  wicked  abhor 
the  upright. 


PART  V— CHAP.  XXX.  1. 


PART  V.  CHAP.  XXX.  1—33. 

(1)  THE  WORDS  or  AGUII,  t/te  son  of  Jn-r  u-ho  mis  obeyed  in  Mnssa. 
Thus  spake  the  man  :  I  have  toiled  for  Gojl.  I  have  toiled  tor  God, 
and  have  ceased. 

So  far  as  I  know,  Hitzig  (in  Zeller,  Theol.  in  Jahrb.  1844, 
s.  283)  was  the  first  to  propose  this  new  modification  of  the 
verse  before  us.  It  is  adopted  and  finely  commented  on,  in 
Bertheau.  —  There  can  be  no  doubt,  that  n£^ ,  bxT^xb ,  and 
b3X,  were  regarded  by  the  punctators,  by  the  Chald.  and 
Syr.  translators,  and  by  nearly  all  of  the  modern  commenta 
tors,  as  proper  names.  Not  so  the  Sept.  and  Vulg.  —  "  quae 
in  omnia  alia  abeunt."  Nothing  can  be  learned  from  them 
about  the  true  original  here.  Is  the  version  above  correct  ? 
Will  the  words  fairly  admit  of  a  different  and  more  intelligi 
ble  construction  than  that  which  has  been  the  usual  one? 
are  questions  fairly  before  us,  since  the  critics  of  other  times 
are  not  agreed. 

The  reasons  for  doubting  the  correctness  of  the  present 
vowel-points  are  several.  As  they  stand,  we  must  translate 
thus  :  The  words  of  Agur,  the  son  of  Jakeh,  the  oracular  mes 
sage,  the  declaration  of  the  man  for  Ithiel — for  Ithiel  and  UkaL 
Here  then,  (a)  We  have  conveyed  to  us  the  idea  of  words 
(a  part  of  the  title)  virtually  repeated  three  times,  viz.,  first 
in  ^^\ ,  then  in  x^ten  ,  and  lastly  by  dio  ;  the  like  of  which 
can  nowhere  else  be  found,  and  which  seems  to  be  not  only 
altogether  unnecessary,  but  in  a  measure  even  unmeaning. 
This  awakens  suspicion.  (&)  The  names  Jakeh  and  Ukal 
occur  nowhere  else,  as  proper  names  ;  that  of  Ithiel  only 
once,  viz.,  in  Neh.  11:  7.  This  would  not  indeed  be  proof 
of  itself,  that  they  might  not  be  used  as  proper  names  here  ; 
but  if  the  consideration  of  them  as  proper  names,  would 
make  the  passage  appear  very  singular  and  tame  ;  and  spe 
cially,  if  the  interpretation  of  them  as  usual  words,  and  not 


402  PART  V— CHAP.  XXX.  1. 

proper  names,  makes  a  good  and  congruous  sense  ;  then  all 
this  is  proper  to  be  thrown  into  the  balance  of  adjustment. 
(c)  If  Ithiel  and  Ukal  are  both  proper  names  intimately  as 
sociated,  why  is  it  that  the  first  is  repeated,  and  the  last  not 
repeated  ?  Both  appear,  from  our  present  point  of  view,  to 
stand  on  the  same  level,  (d)  It  seems  singular,  that  the 
oracular  message  and  the  declaration  should  both  be  addressed 
to  one  person  twice  ;  to  another  person  once ;  and  moreover 
to  two  persons,  who  are  elsewhere  (if  in  fact  they  are  per 
sons)  wholly  unknown,  and  who,  so  far  as  the  sequel  is  con 
cerned,  are  never  addressed  or  recognized  in  that  sequel. 
At  least,  we  can  discern  nothing  specially  appropriate  to 
them,  in  what  follows,  (e)  Quite  strange  is  it,  in  case  the 
whole  of  verse  first  is  title  merely,  to  find  **2 ,  in  verse  second, 
at  the  very  beginning  of  a  discourse,  (f)  In  the  usual 
mode  of  interpretation,  x&sn  and  nxs  are  both  in  apposition, 
and  therefore  both  are  in  the  const,  before  "Dan .  But  this 
cannot  be,  for  the  article  before  the  first  would  be  ^admis 
sible,  at  least  by  any  of  the  ordinary  laws  of  grammar,  (y) 
After  Bio ,  in  all  other  places,  comes  merely  the  person 
whose  word  it  is  (i.  e.  the  subject  or  agent  who  speaks),  but 
not  the  one  to  whom  the  address  is  made  (the  indirect  object). 
At  least  this  is  the  case  universally  in  the  Heb.  Scriptures. 
Therefore  "  the  word  (2X3)  of  the  man  to  Ithiel"  is  without 
any  parallel.  (/<)  x'tS's  is  not  congruous  in  its  meaning,  with 
the  matter  which  follows ;  for  this  is  not,  (like  what  follows 
fct'ttJEtt  in  other  cases),  one  connected  oracle,  or  one  connected 
and  judicial  sentence,  but  many  sayings  on  different  topics. 
Nor  does  the  matter  of  the  sequel,  i.  e.  the  tenor  of  it,  at  all 
agree  with  the  proper  meaning  of  yfti'q  .  —  These  are  serious 
difficulties  indeed  ;  and  if  they  can  be  well  avoided,  it  seems 
desirable  to  shun  them.  Let  us  see  whether  this  can  be 
fairly  done. 

(1)  X&TS  is  probably  here  the  name  of  a  place.     This  may 
be  argued,  from  its  necessary  meaning  in  31:  1,  a  passage 


PART  V— CHAP.  XXX.  1.  403 

altogether  parallel  with  the  one  before  us,  as  every  one  will 
see.  There  we  have  the  following:  "  The  words  of  Lemuel 
^£•2  T|3^ ,  i.  e.  (as  usually  rendered)  the  words  of  Lemuel  the 
king,  an  oracle,  etc.  But  this  is  an  impossible  construction. 
The  Hebrews  could  say  :  bx^b  T^tt  ,  or  T|bjsrT  bx^b ;  but 
they  did  not  and  could  not  say  :  Tj?^  bx*rab .  Of  course,  then, 
^yq  without  the  article  is  necessarily  here  in  the  const,  state  ; 
and  if  so,  then  x&a  is  the  name  of  the  country  over  which 
Lemuel  was  king.  This  follows  by  a  grammatical  necessity. 
—  But  where  is  such  a  place  or  country  ?  In  Gen.  25  :  14 
and  1  Chron.  1:  30,  Massa  is  mentioned,  and  is  coupled  in 
each  case  with  srcsn ;  and  this  latter  name  occurs  again  in 
Is.  21:  11.  In  Arabian  geography,  we  find  two  Dumahs, 
viz.,  the  Syrian  one  called  Dumah  el  G'ondol,  and  the  Ara 
bic  one  named  Dumah  of  Iraq  ;  but  there  is  also  another 
one,  on  the  western  slope  of  the  highlands  of  Arabia,  about 
some  fifty  to  sixty  geographical  miles  from  Akaba,  which  is 
at  the  head  of  the  eastern  fork  of  the  Red  Sea.  Near  this 
latter  Dumah,  (in  all  probability,  as  it  would  seem,  because 
of  the  junction  of  the  two  names  elsewhere),  was  Massa. 
Moreover,  both  Dumah  and  Massa  were  probably  inhabited 
by  a  colony  of  Jews,  i.  e.  Simeonites  ;  about  five  hundred  of 
whom  marched  into  that  country,  and  expelled  the  former 
inhabitants,  in  the  time  of  Hezekiah,  as  we  are  informed  in 
1  Chron.  4:  41 — 43.  After  possessing  themselves  of  Mount 
Seir,  in  Edom,  they  extended  their  conquests  over  all  the 
remainder  of  the  Amalekites,  who  are  reckoned  among  the 
ancient  Arabians  by  their  own  geographers.  In  view  of 
these  facts,  it  is  easy  to  account  for  it,  that  a  messenger  was 
sent  to  consult  Isaiah  the  prophet,  out  of  the  land  of  Dumah, 
Is.  21:  11.  Doubtless,  the  messenger  and  those  who  sent 
him  were  Hebrews. 

(2)  Taking  the  above  historical  events  into  view,  it  will 
be  easy  to  see  how  it  comes  about,  that  a  writer  in  Massa 
should  develop  an  acquaintance  with  the  Heb.  Scriptures, 


404  PART  V— CHAP.  XXX.  1. 

and  a  high  reverence  for  them  ;  which  is  plainly  shown  in 
30 :  5,  6,  and  also  in  the  word  Jehovah  in  30  :  9.  Whatever 
might  be  the  difficulties  we  should  meet  with,  in  case  Massa 
was  inhabited  by  heathenish  Amalekites,  we  are  now  freed 
from  them  by  the  historic  notice  above  referred  to,  in  1  Chron. 
4:41 — 43.  Dumah,  and  Massa  its  neighbor,  in  all  proba 
bility  were  a  portion  of  the  Amalekitish  country,  if  we 
may  judge  from  their  localities ;  and  after  the  conquest  of 
them  by  the  Simeonites,  we  never  hear  any  more  about 
Amalek  as  an  existing  nation.  It  is  plain,  then,  that  chaps. 
xxx.  xxxi.  might  have  been  written  at  Massa ;  and  this  not 
very  long  after  the  Hebrew  conquest  of  it.  Thus  far  our 
path  seems  to  be  open. 

(3)  The  main  difficulty  respects  Massa;  and  this  being 
now  removed,  we  come  to  the  word  which  precedes  it,  and 
which,  if  we  are  in  the  right,  should  (with  Massa)  be  pointed 
and  read  thus  :  x'&-  rTFipi  .  By  this  mode  of  writing,  the 
!"!,  which  appears  in  our  text  as  an  article  before  Kt£SE ,  is 
attached  to  the  preceding  word  as  a  suff.  pronoun.  That 
this  n  does  not  belong  to  Massa  as  an  article,  has  already 
been  shown,  (see  (f)  above,  and  comp.  Massa  in  31:1, 
which  has  no  article).  Written  in  this  way,  the  meaning 
stand's  thus :  Agur,  the  son  of  her  whose  domain  is  Massa. 
The  ground-form  of  nnp^  is  «~!n£i ,  and  this  appears  in  Gen. 
49 :  10,  in  the  const,  state,  and  there  means  domain,  or 
dominion;  in  a  like  sense  it  occurs  in  v.  17  of  this  present 
chapter  ;  or,  if  we  follow  the  Arabic  root  npi,  lit.  it  means 
obedience,  i.  e.  (in  the  concrete)  those  who  obey.  Domain  is 
therefore  a  good  word  to  convey  the  idea  intended  to  be 
conveyed.  We  might  expect,  that  fifi]^  would,  in  the  suff. 
state,  make  ttr^PI ;  and  so  it  would  in  its  full  form,  but 
Hitzig  (loc.  cit.)  has  shown,  that  the  form  of  nouns  that 
have  a  double  n,  drops  one  of  them  before  a  suff.  which 
consists  of  another  ft- ,  so  as  to  prevent  the  occurrence  of 
three  He's  together;  and  consequently,  that  the  abridged 


PART  V—  CHAP.  XXX.  1.  405 


form  here,  ftfip^,  is  within  the  rules  of  Hebrew  normal 
usage.  —  Only  one  question  remains,  then,  in  regard  to  such 
a  phraseology,  as  here  follows  the  const,  noun  *s  (from  p  , 
see  in  Lex.),  viz.,  Can  the  const,  state  precede  not  only 
nouns  in  the  Gen.,  but  also  a  whole  clause,  as  in  this  case  ? 
Ewald  has  fully  answered  this  question  in  §  323,  b,  with 
many  examples  of  such  a  construction.  Our  way  then 
seems  clear.  *2  is  often  employed  for  "2  in  the  const.  ;  see 
Fuerst,  Concord.  Heb.  We  have  then  the  following  idea  : 
The  words  of  Agur,  the  son  of  her  whose  domain  is  Massa.  — 
So  much  is  the  proper  title  or  inscription  of  the  book  ;  and 
here  that  title  ends,  as  we  shall  soon  see. 

The  same  queen  of  Massa  seems  to  reappear,  in  31  :  1. 
Lemuel,  the  king  of  Massa,  is  going  to  utter  things  which  his 
mother  taught  him.  It  seems  probable,  then,  that  he  was  a 
successor  to  his  mother  in  her  domain  ;  and  also  that  Agur 
(in  30:  1)  was  a  brother  of  his,  being  the  progeny  of  the 
same  queen.  A  person  of  remarkable  endowments  this 
mother  would  seem  to  have  been,  thus  to  instruct  her  sons  ; 
and  fortunate,  as  the  world  say,  in  having  such  sons. 

(4)  We  come  now  to  the  latter  part  of  the  verse.  This 
I  should  write  and  render  thus  :  b::xi  ^  "Tsi&tb  bx  ^rHxb  , 
I  have  toiled  for  God,  I  have  toiled  for  God,  and.  have  failed. 
The  Ace.  bx  is  hardly  governed  by  Ty^b  ,  a  verb  intrans. 
It  is  rather  that  kind  of  Ace.  which  indicates  in  respect  to, 
in  reference  to,  §  117.  3;  of  which  there  is  a  multitude  of 
like  examples.  The  sequel  shows,  that  the  toil  in  this  case 
consisted  in  endeavors  to  find  out  God.  After  toiling  in 
vain  to  accomplish  this,  he  desisted,  or  failed,  as  to  making 
more  efforts.  So  stands  it  in  our  text,  as  pointed  above, 
bsxi  .  This  is  the  apoc.  Imperf.  of  H53  ,  which  does  not 
simply  imply  the  fact  of  desisting,  but  desisting  because  of  a 
failure  of  strength  and  resolution  to  pursue  the  matter. 
The  sequel  will  show  why  he  failed,  i.  e.  it  develops  the 
impossibility  of  accomplishing  such  an  object.  —  That  this 


406  PART  V—  CHAP.  XXX.  1. 

% 

is  not  a  forced  or  improbable  construction,  when  we  point 
the  word  brxi ,  is  plain  from  the  fact,  that  anciently  the 
Sept.,  the  Syr.,  and  the  Vulgate,  all  treat  it  as  a  verb  in  the 
Imperf. ;  although  some  of  them  derived  it  from  bb^ ,  to  be 
able,  and  read  it  brjo  =  the  full  form  "ts'iJO .  So  Cocceius, 
who  translates  thus  :  Laboravi  propter  Deum,  ct  obtinui. 
But  the  verb  bb^  elsewhere  always  makes  its  Imperf.  in  the 
full  form,  brttx.  We  must  go  then  to  n'^3  as  the  stem,  or  to 
Vss  =  n?3  in  respect  to  meaning.  3.  D.  Michaelis  came 
near  the  tru"e  sense,  in  his  translation  :  Concerning  God  1 
have  toiled,  and  given  up  the  investigation.  He  must  have 
pointed  the  word  as  proposed  at  the  beginning  of  this  para 
graph.  Forms  like  brxn  we  have  in  "2X1  in  Deut.  9  :  15. 
10:  5,  see  §  74.  n.  3.  b. 

If  it  be  objected  to  the  pointing  in  ^x  ^n\N& ,  that  the 
name  of  God  in  the  form  bx  or  D^n'sx  never  appears  else 
where  in  the  book  of  Proverbs ;  the  fact  is  conceded,  with 
the  exception  of  tLirfbx  in  2 :  5,  17.  We  always  have 
Jehovah,  through  the  whole  book  elsewhere ;  and  just  the 
contrary  of  this  is  the  usage  in  Ecc.,  where  Jehovah  is  never 
employed.  This  is  a  strong  circumstance  against  identity 
of  authorship  in  respect  to  the  two  books.  But  in  the 
present  case,  it  is  of  no  weight  as  an  objection  against  the 
use  of  bx  here,  because  the  ground  taken  is,  that  the  author 
ship  belongs  to  a  man  out  of  Palestine,  and  one  who  cannot 
be  regarded  as  bound  by  Solomonic  usage. 

Thus  we  obtain  a  facile  and  congruous  sense  for  the 
clause  under  examination ;  as  we  shall  more  fully  see  in  the 
sequel.  If  the  Ace.  ?x ,  after  •'rPXP ,  be  a  matter  of  diffi 
culty  to  any  one,  (which  surely  it  cannot  be,  if  he  well 
understands  the  Hebrew  idiom),  let  him  consider  what 
license  the  Greeks  take,  with  this  same  tense,  after  intrans. 
verbs; -e.g.  Baivziv  odop  —  dtyf.lv  tovg  noSas — xu^siv 
tovg  ocp&akftovG  —  and  even  %QQWWV  <boipov,  dancing  Apollo, 
i.  e.  in  honor  of  him  —  &{<t(>£iv  "S/QTSIIIV,  to  dance  Diana, — 


PART  V— CHAP.  XXX.  2.  407 

«oid  many  more  of  the  same  tenor.  But  the  Ileb.  employs 
the  Ace.  even  more  extensively  than  the  Greek.  Most  of 
the  adverbs  of  manner,  are  made  by  nouns  in  the  Ace.  case. 

The  version  above,  viz. :  /  have  toiled  for  God,  must  of 
course  be  here  understood,  (if  we  retain  the  word  for  in  the 
translation),  as  meaning,  that  he  had  toiled  for  the  acquisi 
tion  of  a  knowledge  of  God ;  but  yet,  not  in  the  ordinary 
sense  of  acquiring  a  saving  knowledge  of  him,  but  in  order 
to  obtain  a  speculative  knowledge,  either  ontological  or 
physiological.  That  he  failed  in  this  toil,  is  not  a  matter  of 
wonder;  compare  the  striking  passages  in  Job  11 :  7.  36  :  5, 
26.  37:  23.  Rom.  11  :  33. 

If  our  conclusion  above  is  correct,  then  the  two  chapters, 
Prov.  xxx.  xxxi.,  came  from  the  hand  of  a  Jewish  Arabian 
writer.  The  manner  in  which  his  composition  begins, 
reminds  one  of  the  usual  manner  of  commencing  any  com 
position  in  Arabic.  Here  we  have  "iSyfj  CJO  ;  in  Arabic, 

J\3  (dixit)  is  the  preface  to  any  piece,  with  the  name  of  the 
author  following  this  verb  ;  and  this  is  exactly  =  CJO ,  with 
the  speaker's  name  after  it. 

No  apology,  I  trust,  is  needed  for  the  length  of  a  dis 
cussion,  which  proposes  so  much  of  a  change  in  the  ordinary 
version  of  the  passage  before  us.  Not  a  single  consonant, 
let  it  be  noted,  has  been  changed  or  omitted,  in  making  out 
this  alteration,  but  merely  a  different  vocalization  is  em 
ployed.  The  difficulty  of  the  passage  doubtless  occasioned 
the  punctators  to  make  proper  names  of  those  words,  which 
they  did  not  well  understand. 

(2)  For  s;'i',]ii<i  ma  I  more  than  any  man  :  and  I  have  not  the 
understanding  of  men. 

Here  we  see  the  full  force  and  propriety  of  ^3 .  —  He 
failed,  because  God  cannot  be  searched  out  to  perfection  ; 
and  then  he  desisted,  because  he  found  himself  altogether 
unable  to  comprehend  God.  He  was  even  made  to  feel, 


408  PART  V— CHAP.  XXX.  3,  4. 

that  he  was  stupid  beyond  the  common  measure,  yea,  more 
than  any  other  man.  The  phraseology  need  not,  however, 
be  urged  to  rigid  exactness  of  statement,  for  it  is  poetical, 
and  specially  is  it  the  language  of  feeling,  rather  than  that 
of  exact  philosophizing  or  logic. 

(3)  For  I  did  not  learn  wisdom  ;  nor  did  I  become  acquainted  with 
a  knowledge  of  the  Most  Holy. 

The  1  at  the  outset  is  causal  in  a  measure.  Because  he 
did  not  learn,  etc.,  is  the  reason  why  he  has  said,  that  he 
was  uncommonly  stupid.  The  second  1 ,  following  a  nega 
tive,  means  nor.  —  n^lp ,  lit.  the  holy  ones,  plainly  a  plural 
intensive,  and  it  is  so  rendered  in  the  version. 

(4)  Who  ascendeth  to  heaven,  and  then  descendeth'?     Who  hath 
gathered  the  wind  in  his  fists  ?     Who  hath  bound  up  the  waters  as  in 
a  garment  1     Who  hath  established  the  ends  of  the  earth  1     What  is 
his  name,  and  what  is  his  son's  name,  that  thou  shouldest  know  him  ? 

That  is,  God  ascends  and  descends,  and  is  everywhere. 
He  holds  the  winds  in  his  grasp,  and  restrains  them  or 
causes  them  to  blow  at  his  pleasure.  —  Bound  up  the  waters, 
i.  e.  the  waters  above  the  firmament  (Gen.  1 :  7),  which  of 
course,  according  to  Hebrew  views,  needed  to  be  bound,  in 
order  to  keep  them  in  place.  —  •"^-a ,  as  with  a  garment, 
the  a  being  omitted  because  of  the  s ,  that  is,  as  a  man 
girds  a  garment  around  him  so  as  to  make  a  complete  cover 
ing,  so  are  the  waters  above  confined.  The  ;p;:n  seems  to 
be  the  covering  in  question  here,  which,  being  regarded  by 
the  Hebrews  as  a  solid  expanse,  affords  a  check  upon  the 
descent  of  the  waters.  Hence  '•  the  opening  of  the  windows 
of  heaven,"  at  the  time  of  the  deluge,  Gen.  7:  11,  12. — 
What  is  his  name  ?  etc.,  are  questions  which  imply,  that  no 
one  knows  him,  or  his  family,  (so  to  speak).  —  That  thou 
shouldest  know  him,  i.  e.  so  that  thou,  etc.  In  other  words : 
Not  even  his  name,  or  that  of  anything  which  pertains  to 


PART  V— CHAP.  XXX.  5—9.  409 

him,  is  such  that  thou  canst  know  it.  To  think  of  the  Logos 
here,  under  the  name  of  "a ,  would  be  u  travelling  very  far 
out  of  the  record."  —  The  sentiment  plainly  is  :  <  We  cannot 
know  him  or  his,  so  as  to  satisfy  speculative  inquiry.' 

(5)  Every  word  of  God  is  pure ;  a  shield  is  lie  to  those  who  trust  in 
him. 

Compare  the  original  of  this,  in  Ps.  119  :  140.  12:  7  (6). 
All  which  God  has  said  is  free  from  dross  or  imperfection ; 
and  he  will  protect  all  who  trust  in  him. 

(6)  Thou  shalt  not  add  to  his  words,  lest  he  reprove  thee,  and  thou 
become  a  liar. 

Compare  Deut.  4:2.  13  :  1,  (Eng.  Vers.  12:  32).  The 
quotation  here  is  so  plain,  that  one  cannot  doubt  the  famil 
iarity  of  the  writer  with  the  Jewish  Scripture.  —  For  the 
form  S)Oin,  from  C,o^ ,  see  §  74.  n.  3.  c.  —  A  liar  is  any  one 
who  falsifies  God's  truth,  either  by  addition  or  diminution. 

(7)  Two  things  have  I  asked  of  thee ;  withhold  them  not  from  me 
before  I  die.     (8)  Falsehood  and  lying  words  remove  far  from  me; 
give  me  neither  poverty  nor  riches ;  feed  me  with  the  bread  of  my 
allotted  portion. 

n^B  demands  the  Imperf.  after  it,  as  here  in  n*rax .  —  Give 
me  neither,  etc.,  the  Heb.  runs  thus  :  Poverty  and  riches  give 
not  to  me  ! —  iSl  ilJB'na!! ,  lit.  pluck  food  for  me  —  the  bread 
of  my  portion.  —  ^n ,  is  his  ration,  so  to  speak,  i.  e.  what  is 
allotted  or  suffices  to  satisfy  his  wants.  —  There  appears,  at 
first  view,  to  be  three  things  instead  of  two.  But  the  last  two 
clauses  combine  in  the  following  way  :  '  Let  me  be  neither 
rich  nor  poor,  but  merely  one  who  has  a  sufficiency.' 

(9)  Lest  I  be  satiated  and  deny  [thee],  and  say:  Who  is  Jehovah  ? 
and  lest  I  be  poor,  and  steal,  and  violate  the  name  of  God. 

Great  plenty  usually  produces  pride  and  sensuality,  and, 
of  course,  forgetfulness  of  God,  and  of  our  dependence  on 
him.  —  Poverty  tempts  men  to  steal  what  they  want,  and 
35 


410  PART  V— CHAP.  XXX.  10—14. 

which  they  cannot  otherwise  obtain.  Moreover,  in  conse 
quence  of  this  condition,  some  men  often  assail  the  divine 
Being  with  charges  of  partiality,  severity,  and  injustice.  — 
Assail  or  violate  the  name  ;  the  verb  ;c'£ri  lit.  means  to  take 
hold  of,  to  grasp,  to  seize  rudely  for  the  sake  of  treating  any 
one  roughly.  It  is  difficult  to  find  an  adequate  English  word. 
Assail  has  of  course  a  bad  sense,  (which  is  required  here), 
as  commonly  employed  ;  but  the  idiom  is  unusual.  Violate, 
seems  to  come  as  near  to  the  original,  as  we  can  well  manage 
to  come.  Name  of  God  is  =  God himself ';  as  often  elsewhere. 

(10)  Thou  shalt  not  cause  a  servant  to  slander  his  master;  lest  he 
should  curse  thee,  and  thou  shouldest  be  guilty. 

•jttfen  is  in  Hiph.,  and  so  has  the  meaning  given  to  it  in  the 
version.  —  Should  curse  thee,  viz.,  because  he  has  incurred 
punishment  for  his  crime  of  slandering,  to  which  thou  didst 
move  him.  —  And  since  thou  hast  done  a  wrong,  and  made 
thyself  guilty,  the  curse  will  light  on  thee,  for  thou  hast 
deserved  it.  It  will  not  be  a  d|n  ir&bp ,  but  a  curse  with  a 
good  reason  for  it. 

[Next  follows  a  specification  of  four  classes  of  people,  each  one 
independent  of  the  other ;  and  what  is  remarkable  in  the  case  is.  that 
nothing  is  predicated  of  them,  as  to  what  they  are  to  do  or  will  do, 
(except  in  one  case),  or  even  as  to  any  retribution  which  awaits  them. 
They  stand  in  no  connection  with  the  context ;  and  they  apparently 
represent  prevailing  vices,  inasmuch  as  whole  classes  are  specified.  It 
seems  to  be  taken  for  granted,  that  each  of  these  classes  will  be  looked 
upon  by  the  reader  with  high  disapprobation.] 

(11)  There  is  a  generation,  which  curseth  its  father,  and  blesseth  not 
its  mother ;  (12)  A  generation  pure  in  its  own  eyes,  and  which  is  not 
washed  from  its  filthiness  ;  (13)  A  generation  —  O  how  lofty  are  their 
eyes,  and  their  eyebrows  lifted  up!    (14)  A  generation  whose  teeth 
are  swords,  and  their  grinders  knives,  to  consume  the  wretched  of  the 
land,  and  the  needy  among  men. 

V.  11,  blesseth  not  —  curseth  ;  a  case  of  nieiosis.  —  V.  12, 


PART  V— CHAP.  XXX.  15,  16.  411 

pure  in  its  own  eyes,  although  still  unclean,  yrr? ,  Part.  Pual, 
with  a  omitted,  §  51.  n.  5.  —  V.  13,  Lofty  eyes  and  eyebrows 
elevated  are  the  usual  marks  or  signs  of  pride  or  haughtiness. 
—  V.  14,  swords  and  knives  are  instruments  of  destruction. 
Here  the  image  is  that  of  wild  beasts,  which  are  ready  to 
devour,  and  so  we  have  ^bx\j .  —  'f~i^ ,  out  of  the  land,  it 
might  be  rendered,  i.  e.  to  clear  the  land  of  them  ;  but  I  take 
"ip  to  denote  a  part  of,  or  belonging  to.  So  also  in  3"iX*3 .  — 
But,  what  of  all  these  ?  and  what  is  to  become  of  them  ?  the 
writer  does  not  say.  He  merely  proffers  them  to  our  notice, 
doubtless  anticipating  our  disapprobation  of  them. 

(15)  The  vampire  hath  two  daughters,  give,  give ;  three  there  are, 
which  are  never  satisfied,  four  which  never  say:  Enough!  (16)  The 
under- world,  the  barren  womb,  the  ground  never  saturated  with  water, 
and  fire  which  never  says  :  Enough  ! 

The  vampire.,  njr^b:? ,  is  perhaps  a  somewhat  doubtful 
translation.  The  ancients  render  leech  or  blood-sucker  ;  our 
English  version,  the  horse-leech.  In  one  respect  this  is  con 
gruous;  for  these  creatures  are  in  a  measure  insatiable; 
which  makes  the  gist  of  the  comparison.  But  they  do  not 
seem  to  be  sufficiently  significant,  or  of  importance  enough, 
to  constitute  the  basis  of  comparison  here.  Vampire  comes 
much  nearer,  in  this  respect.  This  is  an  imaginary  spectre 
or  ghost,  in  the  popular  mythology,  which  sucks  human  blood, 
specially  that  of  children,  and  is  insatiable  for  it.  The  word 
nplbs;  is  found  nowhere  else  in  Heb. ;  but  the  Arabians  have 
the  same  word,  and  in  the  Kamus^  their  standard  dictionary, 
it  is  defined  by  another  Arabic  word,  viz.,  J^.  ^  Ghool. 
This  latter  word,  the  Kamus  again  defines,  as  meaning,  (1) 
Calamity.  (2)  Forest-devil.  (3)  A  demon  anthropophagous  or 
man-eating  and  insatiable.  The  Arabians,  down  to  the  present 
hour,  maintain  that  it  is  often  met  with  in  the  forests  of 
Arabia  ;  and  they  stand  in  great  terror  of  it,  when  entering 
a  thick  forest.  The  Syrians  had  a  like  tradition  :  but,  like  the 


412  PART  V— CHAP.  XXX.  15. 

Hebrews,  they  more  generally  named  the  Sprite  rvM .  In 
Is.  34:  14,  this  last  word  occurs,  and  it  is  amply  and  finely 
illustrated  by  Gesenius,  in  his  Comm.  on  the  passage.  In 
fact,  the  popular  mythologies  of  hither  Asia  correspond  very 
near  with  those  of  the  West.  We  have,  or  have  had,  spec 
tres,  sprites,  hobgoblins,  elves,  imps,  vampires,  and  —  what 
not  ?  Of  all  these,  the  last  named,  i.  e.  an  insatiable  blood 
sucking  spectre,  comes  the  nearest  to  the  Arabic  Ghool,  and 
probably  the  Heb.  n^^sr .  Such  a  creature  is  of  sufficient 
magnitude  to  correspond  with  the  exigency  of  the  passage. 
Insatiability  in  its  highest  development  is  required  ;  and  the 
vampire  or  Ghool  furnishes  an  example  in  point.  Bertheau 
does  not  translate,  but  transfers,  and  writes  &Aluqa.  I  should 
do  so  likewise,  if  I  were  not  satisfied  that  vampire  comes 
sufficiently  near  to  the  original.  —  Whether  the  being  in 
question  be  real  or  imaginary,  is  of  no  importance  to  the 
writer.  The  simple  object  is,  to  get  a  good  basis  of  compar 
ison  in  respect  to  insatiability.  The  popular  notion  of  the 
vampire's  insatiability  afforded  him  one  ;  like  to  the  popular 
notions  which  Isaiah  assumes  as  the  basis  of  his  represen 
tation,  in  chaps,  xiv.  and  xxxiv. 

Has  two  daughters,  not  in  the  way  of  descent  or  generation, 
but  (in  conformity  with  the  Heb.  idiom),  daughters  so  called 
from  similitude.  Thus  Jesus  said  to  the  Jews :  Ye  are  of 
your  father  the  devil  (John  8  :  44),  i.  e.  his  children,  because 
they  were  like  him  in  malicious  intentions.  —  The  vampire, 
then,  has  daughters  in  this  sense,  and  in  this  way.  There 
are  two  in  number  who  are  preeminent  for  insatiability,  and 
so,  on  this  account,  are  called  the  daughters  of  the  vampire. 
These  are  named  nn  nri ,  i.  e.  give,  give.  These  names  are 
in  apposition  with  n"i32 ,  and  partly  exegetical  of  it.  The 
names  indicate  the  qualities,  i.  e.  insatiable  desire  and  the  lack 
of  any  adequate  satisfacti-on  of  it.  To  the  two  daughters, 
Srt ,  art ,  is  added  another  thing  of  like  character  ;  and  of  all 
these  three  in  common  it  is  said :  They  are  never  satisfied. 


PART  V-CHAP.  XXX.  16.  413 

Then,  finally,  comes  another  thing  which  makes  four  ;  and 
none  of  these  ever  say :  Enough  !  Thus  one  common  trait, 
i.  e.  insatiability,  belongs  to  the  whole  ;  although  the  first 
two  are  preeminent  above  the  rest,  and  so  are  called  daughters 
of  the  vampire.  The  apparently  masc.  numerals  have  of 
course  a  fern,  meaning  in  both  cases,  §  95. 1.  The  first  clause 
in  the  verse  seems  to  preclude  the  idea,  that  the  third  and 
fourth  are  reckoned  as  daughters  of  the  vampire. 

Next  comes  the  specification  of  the  four.  (1)  The  under 
world  or  grave  ;  which  is  always  receiving,  and  never  satisfied, 
but  continually  says  :  Give  !  (2)  T/ie  barren  womb,  or  restraint 
ofwomb,v\z.,  restraint  from  child-bearing.  It  is  a  generally 
acknowledged  physiological  fact,  that  barren  women  are  the 
most  vehement  in  their  passion  for  offspring  4  see  Gen.  30: 
1,  seq.,  which  illustrates  the  subject.  (3)  Ground  not  to  be 
saturated  with  water,  i.  e.  a  sandy  or  gravelly  soil,  which 
speedily  drinks  up  all  the  rain,  and  is  ever  needing  more. 
(4)  The  fire,  which  is  ever  consuming,  and  ever  needing  to 
be  replenished. 

Thus  it  appears,  that  the  iij^bs ,  the  mother-monster,  is 
not  herself  reckoned  as  one  of  the  number  here  produced, 
but  only  as  a  specimen  to  which  the  four  are  compared.  It 
farther  appears,  that  the  two  first  are  regarded  as  the  most 
insatiable ;  for  give !  give  !  applies  specially  to  them,  since 
they  are  so  named.  But  what  is  the  object  of  producing 
these  similitudes  ?  On  this  the  commentators  have  generally 
shown  a  prudent  silence.  It  is  clear,  that  not  one  of  these 
insatidbilities  is  in  itself  of  a  moral  or  criminal  nature.  They 
either  belong  to  things  not  moral,  or  they  are  involuntary. 
If  the  context  developed  a  miser,  all  would  be  plain.  His 
appetite  resembles  the  insatiability  here  described.  But  no 
miser  makes  his  appearance  in  the  context.  One,  therefore, 
can  hardly  help  supposing,  that  this  passage  contains  an 
extract  from  some  other  book,  where,  as  it  stood,  it  had 
proximate  objects  in  view,  and  furnished  similitudes  to 
35* 


414  PART  V— CHAP.  XXX.  17—19. 

illustrate  them.  As  the  objects  are  here  presented,  the 
passage  seems  designed  rather  to  be  classed  with  striking 
descriptions,  or  similes,  than  with  gnomes  of  a  moral  or 
prudential  character.  This  constitutes  a  striking  particular 
of  difference,  between  this  and  the  preceding  parts  of  the 
book.  All  heretofore  has  some  practical  bearing.  Here, 
the  object  seems  rather  to  gratify  the  love  of  similitudes, 
than  directly  to  inculcate  prudence  or  morals.  We  must 
suppose,  however,  at  least,  that  the  writer  left  it  to  his  readers 
to  apply  these  illustrations  of  an  insatiable  appetite  to  some 
thing  within  his  own  knowledge ;  for  example,  it  was  easy 
to  apply  them  to  the  miser,  the  glutton,  the  drunkard,  and 
the  debauchee  ;  although  the  writer  has  not  himself  expressly 
made  such  an  application.  —  On  the  whole,  there  is  good 
reason  for  reckoning  this  passage  among  the  triTn  (enigmas) 
of  the  book,  mentioned  in  1:  6  as  a  part  of  the  contents  of 
the  book. 

(17)  The  eye  that  derideth  a  father,  and  despiseth  the  control  of  a 
mother  —  the  ravens  of  the  valley  shall  pick  it  out,  the  young  eagles 
shall  devour  it. 

That  eye  here  represents  the  person  who  sees,  is  plain. 
Yet  the  image  of  the  eye  is  carried  out,  in  the  closing  part  of 
the  verse.  —  m^b ,  is  the  same  word  which  stands  in  the  title 
of  the  chapter,  and  there  means  domain.  The  Dagh.  in  p>  is 
a  mere  compensation  for  the  Yodh  which  is  made  otiant  here, 
for  the  sake  of  a  more  rapid  pronunciation.  Regularly  written 
it  would  read,  rn^b  ;  comp.  examples  in  §  20.  2,  which  are 
of  the  like  kind.  —  This  eye,  the  ravens  will  pick  out,  the 
young  eagles  will  devour  it  —  vivid  images  are  these  of  severe 
punishment. 

(18)  Three  things  are  too  wonderful  for  me;  and  four  things  1  do 
not  understand  ;  (19)  The  way  of  an  eagle  in  the  air;  the  way  of  a 
serpent  on  a  rock ;  the  way  of  a  ship  in  the  midst  of  the  sea ;  and  the 
way  of  a  man  with  a  maid. 


PART  V— CHAP.  XXX.  20.  415 

V.  18,  What  is  it  which  is  matter  of  wonder?  The  things 
themselves,  or  the  impossibility  of  tracing  the  way  once  gone 
over  ?  Certainly  not  the  things  themselves,  for  they  are 
familiar  and  every-day  matters.  But  that  all  these  transi 
tions  can  be  made,  without  leaving  any  marks  or  signs  of 
their  having  taken  place  —  that  seems  to  be  the  nucleus  of 
the  thing.  —  For  examples  of  the  phraseology,  by  which  three 
are  designated,  and  then  a  fourth  is  added,  see  Amos  1:  3,  6, 
9,  11,  13.  2:  1,  4,  6,=  eight  examples  in  succession. — As 
to  the  last  clause,  lit.  it  runs  thus:  As  to  four,  I  know  them 
not.  —  V.  19,  tr^s ,  in  the  air,  see  Lex.  The  eagle  leaves 
no  trace  of  his  lofty  flight  in  the  air ;  the  serpent,  no  trace 
of  his  passage  over  a  rock ;  a  ship,  no  trace  of  its  division  of 
the  waters.  But  the  main  thing  is  yet  to  come,  because  it 
has  a  special  bearing  on  v.  20.  —  The  way  of  a  man  with  a 
maid;  so  our  Eng.  version,  and  I  have  followed  it  causa 
verecundiae.  The  Heb.  Srsbsa  means  in  puella,  i.  e.  "  homo 
vaginam  pertransiens." —  Of  this  no  traces  are  left  upon  the 
man ;  for  it  is  the  way  of  the  man,  in  this  case,  and  not  of  the 
woman.  Whether  irdby-  here  means  virgin,  or  maid,  i.  e. 
young  woman,  is  not  what  the  writer  is  here  concerned  with, 
although  virgin  is  the  more  probable  sense.  In  either  case, 
the  thing  asserted  is  equally  true.  No  traces  of  intercourse 
are  left  upon  the  man.  The  case  of  the  maiden  may  be 
physically  different  from  this,  and  must  in  fact  be  so,  although 
it  may  not  be  apparent.  But  this  is  not  what  the  writer 
intends  to  assert.  The  woman,  who  makes  pretences  to 
incolumity,  comes  before  us  not  here,  but  in  the  next  verse. 
-  The  three  first,  then,  are  mere  similars ;  the  fourth  is  not 
merely  so,  but  it  also  prepares  the  way  for  what  is  said  of 
the  adulteress. 

(20)  So  is  the  way  of  the  adulterous  woman  :  she  eateth,  and  wipeth 
her  mouth,  and  saith  :  I  have  done  nothing  wrong. 

She  eateth,  means  that  she  indulges  her  passion  or  appetite 


416  PART  V— CHAP.  XXX.  21—23. 

for  venery. —  Wipeth  her  mouth,  is  a  continuation  of  the 
imagery  of  eating.  The  ancient  (and  indeed  the  present) 
Orientals  fed  themselves  merely  with  their  hands ;  they 
were  of  course  obliged  to  wash  or  wipe  after  eating,  for  the 
sake  of  cleanliness.  When  this  was  done,  no  visible  sign  of 
having  eaten  was  left.  —  So  the  adulteress  takes  all  possible 
precaution  to  remove  any  indicia  of  her  criminal  intercourse  ; 
and  when  this  is  done,  she  claims  to  be  guiltless.  She  would 
fain  have  others  believe  that  she  is  innocent,  and  challenges 
any  one  to  point  out  the  least  index  of  crime.  But  the 
manner  in  which  she  comes  to  make  the  claim,  seems  to 
imply,  that  pains-taking  was  necessary  in  order  to  render  it 
credible.  Were  it  not  for  that  pains-taking,  it  would  s'eem 
to  be  implied,  that  the  thing  done  might  be  traced  or  sus 
pected.  The  whole  taken  together  serves  to  show,  that 
although  nothing  palpable  in  the  way  of  proof  remains  in  the 
case  of  the  man,  by  which  his  doings  might  be  ascertained, 
it  is  different  with  the  woman,  unless  special  pains  be  taken 
to  remove  or  conceal  every  trace  of  crime. 

The  moral  of  the  whole  seems  to  be,  that  not  all  guilt  can 
be  discovered,  in  consequence  of  its  leaving  palpable  evi 
dence  behind  it.  The  writer  would  seem  to  say  :  '  Trust 
not  mere  appearances  too  much.  Remember,  that  neither 
professions  of  innocence,  nor  even  appearances  of  it,  do 
always  prove  the  existence  itself  of  innocence.'  —  The 
passage  thus  considered,  however,  is  not  designed  to  incul 
cate  a  proneness  to  suspicion,  but  merely  to  throw  in  a 
caution  against  unlimited  credulity  in  first  appearances.  — 
It  may  well  be  reckoned  as  one  of  the  ni'rn . 

(21)  Under  three  things  the  land  trembleth,  and  because  of  four,  it 
cannot  lift  itself  up  ;  (22)  Under  a  servant,  when  he  hath  rule  ;  and  a 
fool,  when  he  aboundeth  in  bread  ;  (23)  Under  a  hateful  woman,  when 
she  getteth  married ;  and  a  servant-maid,  when  she  becometh  heir  to 
her  mistress. 

Three  and  four  again   perform  the  same  part  here  as 


PART  V— CHAP.  XXX.  24—26.  417 

above.  —  The  numbers  being  to  appearance  masc.,  are  in 
fact  fern.,  agreeing  with  things  implied.  —  rxr ,  contracted 
from  nx:r ,  fern.  Inf.  of  xba .  The  idea  is  that  of  bearing  up, 
under  the  weight  of  what  presses  it.  —  V.  22,  baa1]  implies 
the  nnn  of  the  preceding  clause  before  it ;  and  so  of  nnBirif 
in  the  next  verse.  —  c!rb  (in  pause),  Ace.  after  a  verb  of 
fulness.  Our  idiom  supplies  a  preposition.  —  V.  23,  nxwJ, 
fern.  part,  noun,  under  her  who  is  hated  =  a  hateful  or  ugly 
woman.  —  Wrn?? ,  sun0,  form  of  rrna .  To  inherit  her  mistress, 
means  to  come  in  her  place,  i.  e.  to  become  the  wife  of  her 
master.  The  writer  plainly  deems  such  things  as  are  here 
mentioned,  to  be  odious  incongruities. 

(24)  There  tire  four  small  things  in  the  world  :  and  yet  they  are 
very  wise. 

The  sequel  shows,  that  the  four  small  things  are  animals 
of  the  smaller  kind.  Heb.  lit.  small  things  of  the  earth,  i.  e. 
belonging  to  it. —  Very  wise,  lit.  wise  made  wise,  the  last 
word  being  Part.  Pual ;  of  course  if  the  wise  are  made  still 
wiser,  then  they  become  very  ivise,  quasi  be-ivised;.  so  in  the 
version. 

(25)  The  ants  are  not  a  strong  folk;  and  yet  they  prepare  their 
food  in  summer.     (26)  The  mountain-mice  are  a  folk  not  mighty; 
and  yet  they  fix  their  habitation  in  the  rock. 

V.  25,  The  ants  are  a  conspicuous  example  of  activity  and 
diligence  ;  comp.  6  :  G — 8.  —  V.  26,  tnrsd  ,  not  conies,  for 
they  do  not  build  among  the  rocks  ;  and  it  is  doubtful, 
moreover,  whether  they  are  indigenous  in  Palestine.  But 
the  proper  mountain-mice  have  some  resemblance  to  them, 
although  they  are  smaller.  In  Arabia,  and  other  places, 
they  are  gregarious,  and  very  abundant  among  the  rocky 
hills  ;  and  withal,  they  are  remarkably  swift,  and  dexterous 
in  escaping  danger,  by  retreating  into  the  crevices  of  the 
rocks  where  they  live.  —  J'b&a ,  with  the  article,  as  being 
the  name  of  a  substance. 


418  PART  V—  CHAP.  XXX.  27—29. 

(27)  The  locusts  have  no  king  ;  and  yet  they  march  on,  all  of  them 
divided  into  bands. 


In  the  Heb.  fO%x  is  sing,  generic  ;  and  of  course  the  suffix 
in  IPS  is  the  same.  Our  idiom  demands  the  plural.  —  ^^ 
is  often  used  in  reference  to  the  orderly  marching  forth  of 
an  army.  —  psh,  dividing,  sundering,  i.  e.  into  regular 
bodies  of  march,  like  soldiers  under  their  leaders.  This 
they  do  spontaneously,  without  any  king  ;  which  shows 
their  instinctive  sagacity. 

(28)  The  lizard  layeth  hold  Avith  both  hands,  and  she  is  even  in 
the  palaces  of  the  king. 


aBir,  not  spider  (as  in  our  version),  as  Bochart  has 
fully  shown,  but  the  lizard,  i.  e.  the  house-lizard,  which  is 
very  frequent  in  Palestine,  and  gets  into  every  kind  of 
dwelling.  Its  principal  food  is  flies  ;  and  these  it  springs 
upon,  and  grasps  with  both  its  prehensiles,  as  if  they  were 
hands.  They  are  tolerated  in  palaces  even,  because  they 
help  to  clear  them  of  vermin. 

The  activity  and  dexterity  of  these  four  classes  of  insig 
nificant  animals,  gave  occasion  to  the  gnomic  sayings  before 
us.  The  hue  of  the  whole  chapter  is  very  remarkable.  In 
the  present  case,  there  is  no  moral  suggested.  To  the  mind 
of  the  reader  is  left  the  application.  In  the  present  case, 
the  moral  seems  to  be,  that  however  insignificant  a  man  may 
be  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  who  have  much  regard  to  birth 
and  outward  circumstances,  there  is  after  all  abundance  of 
room  for  him  to  be  active  and  sagacious,  and  to  accomplish 
important  ends  thereby. 

(29)  There  arc  three  things  which  excel  in  step;  yea,  four  which 
excel  in  gait. 


,  Part.  Hiph.,  lit.  make  good  the  step,  or  make 
goodly  steps  ;  which  means  what  the  version  expresses.  The 
last  clause  repeats  the  same  idea,  in  another  form,  viz., 


pART  V— CHAP.  XXX.  30,  31,  419 

tnaketh  goodly  the  gait  or  going. —  rpb  (in  pause),  fern.  Inf. 
of  r&.' 

(30)  The  lion  is  mighty  among  the  beast?,  and  he  will  turn  back 
from  the  face  of  no  one.  (31)  The  greyhound,  and  the  he-goat,  and 
a  king  who  cannot  be  withstood. 

V.  30,  The  majestic  and  fearless  gait  of  the  lion  has  been 
often  remarked.  —  V.  31,  n^rra  "nnT ,  lit.  compressed  (root  IT) 
of  loins.  Probably  it  is  the  greyhound,  which  is  here  char 
acteristically  so  called,  whose  gaunt  loins  are  conspicuous. 
Then  the  gait  of  this  animal  answers  well  to  the  writer's 
object,  for  it  is  at  once  graceful  and  rapid.  To  translate 
war-horse,  with  Gesenius,  and  others,  seems  incongruous. 
Of  himself,  he  is  not  compressed  of  loins  ;  nor  are  his  belts,  to 
which  they  appeal,  bound  on  his  loins,  but  on  the  fore-part 
of  his  body.  Others  translate  Zebra,'  but  this  is  not  a 
Palestine  animal. —  *x  is  a  particle  which  seems  hardly  in 
place  here.  To  translate  or  (the  usual  sense)  makes  no 
tolerable  meaning,  for  this  would  be  merely  to  say,  that  "i^nT 
and  'vi^n  are  two  names  of  one  and  the  same  animal.  In  that 
case  we  should  have  only  three  of  the  whole,  and  not/owr  as 
v.  29  demands.  With  J.  H.  Michaelis,  then,  we  must  here 
translate  i'x  as  =  and ;  and -so,  all  the  ancient  Versions. 
With  Michaelis  we  may  refer  to  Num.  15:  6.  Mai.  2:  17,  as 
supporting  such  a  translation.  —  \S";n  means  the  he-goat  who 
is  the  head  of  the  flock,  and  leads  and  controls  its  movements. 
The  ordinary  gait  of  goats  among  us  certainly  has  little  of 
the  2 "is  in  it ;  but  the  larger  Oriental  he-goats,  at  the  head  of 
a  flock,  march  along  with  much  affected  dignity  and  stateli- 
ness.  —  S'ipbx,  see  on  r-ns-btf ,  in  12:  28.  In  the  book  of 
Psalms,  fi'p  is  often  used  in  the  sense  of  a  hostile  rising  up  ; 
and  here  s'ipsx  appears  to  be  u  compound  word,  viz.,  d"'p  and 
the  negative  btt  .  Hence  it  means  no  withstanding,  i.  e.  there 
is  nothing  of  opposition  which  avails  with  him.  So  the  Jewish 
interpreters.  The  usual  stately  movement  of  such  a  heroic 
sovereign,  is  here  the  point  of  allusion. 


420  PART  V—  CHAP.  XXX,  32,  33. 

And  now  for  the  moral.  What  is  it  ?  These  stately  gaits 
are  surely  not  proposed  as  objects  of  imitation  ;  nor  yet,  of 
repugnance.  I  see  no  more  in  them,  than  the  presentation 
of  remarkable  things,  to  witness  which  impresses  the  mind 
in  a  pleasing  manner.  They  seem  to  be  made  prominent 
here,  principally  as  mirabilia. 

(32)  Ifthouhast  played  the  fooi  in  exalting  thyself  ;  if  thou  hast 
craftily  devised,  with  thy  hand  to  thy  mouth. 


For  NttJsrin  ,  see  1  K.  1:5.  —  nsb  *n  ,  with  hand  to  mouth, 
(Ace.  of  manner),  denotes  the  action  of  a  man  in  deep  think 
ing,  who  often  spontaneously  puts  his  hand  to  his  mouth 
while  making  mental  effort.  In  other  words  :  '  If  thou  hast, 
with  much  pains-taking,  devised  evil.' 

Thus  far  is  protasis,  in  both  clauses  introduced  by  if,  but 
without  any  apodosis  expressed  to  either  of  them.  We  must 
therefore  suppose  one  ;  which  would  be  as  follows  :  '  Thou 
hast  acted  wickedly  or  foolishly.'  Or,  we  may  take  ox  in  a 
negative  way,  implying  that  one  ought  not  to  engage  in  such 
things.  In  accordance  with  this  last  implied  idea,  is  the 
tenor  of  the  next  verse. 

(33)  For  the  pressing  of  milk  produceth  cheese  ;  and  the  pressure 
of  the  nose  produceth  blood  ;  so  doth  the  pressure  of  anger  produce 
contention. 

That  is  :  '  Indulge  not  evil  devices,  because  (^3)  this  will 
bring  you  into  contention  and  mischief.'  Milk  pressed  be 
comes  another  substance,  viz.,  cheese,  which  is  harder  and 
more  solid  ;  the  nose  pressed  in  anger,  (our  vulgar  idiom  is, 
pulling  one's  nose},  produces  blood  ;  and  then  comes  the  main 
point  aimed  at,  viz.,  the  occasion  of  strife.  —  2?QX  (lit.  nos 
trils]  has  here  its  secondary  sense,  viz.,  that  of  anger.  If  one 
urges  and  presses  hard  on  an  angry  man,  the  consequence 
of  such  a  course  is  a  quarrel.  —  If  we  look  back,  we  may 
now  see  a  connection.  Mischievous  devices,  which  bear  hard 


PART  VI— CHAP.  XXXI.  l,  2.  421 

or  press  on  others,  will  be  certain  to  produce  strife  and  do 
mischief.  —  In  the  two  >ast  clauses,  the  paronomasia  in  t|X 
and  D"]fix  is  very  conspicuous. 

[Thus  end  the  words  of  Agur.  The  difference  between  the  style 
and  manner  of  sentiment  here,  and  in  the  preceding  part  of  the  book, 
must  be  obvious,  at  once,  to  every  discerning  reader.  In  the  latter, 
Ave  have  no  such  continued  and  multiplied  similes  :  and  besides  this, 
we  are  scarcely,  if  ever,  at  a  loss  to  see  the  moral,  that  is,  the  pruden 
tial  principle  or  sentiment  aimed  at.  It  usually  lies  on  the  surface. 
But  in  the  present  chapter,  in  several  cases,  we  have  no  small  diffi 
culty  to  find  any  moral ;  and  in  some,  we  cannot,  as  we  have  seen,  find 
it  at  all.  In  some  cases,  we  have  OnViJE)  of  mere  similitudes,  adapted 
more  to  surprise  or  to  please,  than  to  impart  ethical  instruction.  See 
Introd.  §  1.] 


PART  VI.     CHAP.  XXXI.  1—9. 

[These  nine  verses  contain  the  instructions  of  Lemuel's  mother ; 
(1)  Caution  against  incontinence.  (2)  Against  drunkenness.  (3) 
Monitions  in  respect  to  doing  justice,  and  vindicating  the  oppressed.] 

(1)  THE  WORDS  or  LEMUEL,  KING  OF  MASSA  ;  which  his  mother 
taught  him. 

See  on  30  :  1,  where  the  first  part  of  this  verse  is  fully 
discussed.  —  ^btt ,  (without  the  article)  must  be  in  the  const, 
state ;  and  if  so,  then  Massa  is  the  name  of  the  king's  do 
main.  As  Agur  is  called  the  son  of  the  queen  of  Massa 
(30  : 1),  and  here  the  king  of  Massa  is  represented  as  being 
taught  by  his  mother ;  so  it  seems  quite  probable,  that  this 
mother  of  the  king  of  Massa,  is  the  queen  referred  to  in 
30 :  1  ;  and  consequently,  that  Agur  and  Lemuel  were 
brothers.  The  two  compositions  are  probably  contempora 
neous,  or  nearly  so.  —  inns'] ,  Piel  fern.  Perf.  with  suffix  ; 
see  Parad.  Suff.  p.  292. 

(2)  What,  my  son  ?  and  what,  the  son  of  my  womb?  yea  what,  the 
son  of  my  vows  ? 

36 


422  PART  VI— CHAP.  XXXI.  3—5. 

That  is  :  <  What  shall  I  say  to  thee  ? '  Or :  « What  ought- 
est  thou  to  do  ? '  The  repetition  denotes  earnestness  in 
demanding  attention.  The  son  of  my  vows,  probably  refers 
to  vows  uttered  before  his  birth,  that  she  would  do  so  and 
so,  in  case  she  should  bear  a  son  ;  comp.  1  Sam.  1:  11.  Per 
haps  the  name  of  that  son,  bxrab  (in  v.  4),  for  him  is  God, 
or  he  belongs  to  God,  may  indicate  a  consecration  of  him  to 
God  as  his.  — - 12  in  Ps.  ii.,  and  in  other  places,  shows  that 
the  word  is  not  merely  Aramaean,  but  belongs  to  the  older 
Hebrew. 

(3)  Give  not  thy  strength  to  women,  nor  thy  ways  to  the  destruc 
tion  of  kings. 

S^n  may  mean  wealth ;  but  here  this  meaning  is  less 
probable.  The  destruction  of  kings  seems  to  refer  to  the 
enervating  power  of  excessive  venery,  and  the  premature 
death  which  it  usually  brings.  The  destruction  of  kings  — 
that  which  destroys  kings,  nirrab  ,  Inf.  Hiph.  n  prefix  being 
elided,  and  its  vowel  thrown  back  under  the  b,  §  52.  2.  n.  7. 
Strength,  therefore,  i.  e.  physical  vigor,  seems  to  be  the  true 
idea  of  b^n .  —  The  plur.  bp- ,  in  "pa^a  ,  is  not  alone.  Other 
like  cases  are  found  in  Hebrew,  §  86.  1.  a. 

(4)  Not  for  kings,  0  Lemuel,  not  for  kings,  is  the  drinking  of  wine  • 
nor  for  princes,  the  desire  of  strong  drink. 

inir ,  the  apoc.  form  of  nirvj ,  Inf.  of  nnitf ,  §  74.  n.  2.  — 
Before  the  second  clause,  1  means  nor,  because  it  follows  a 
negative.  —  IX  ,  Qeri  ^x ,  which  would  be  an  interrogative  ; 
and  then  we  must  translate  :  where  is  strong  drink  ?  A  pos 
sible,  but  not  a  probable  sense.  Ges.  (Lex.)  reads  IX ,  which 
he  makes  the  const,  of  ix ,  just  as  rria  is  const,  of  n;ra .  I 
prefer  this  solution  to  the  Qeri.  The  root  then  is  ITix ,  to 
desire,  and  "ix  is  const,  of  IX  =  desire. 

(5)  Lest  he  drink,  and  forget  that  which  is  decreed,  and  pervert  the 
judgment  of  all  the  afflicted. 


PART  VI—  CHAP.  XXXI.  6—9.  423 

,  Pual  Part,  form,  used  as  a  neuter  noun  here.  — 
Heb.  all  the  sons  of  the  afflicted,  means  merely  what  is  ex 
pressed  in  the  version.  —  It  is  a  king's  business  to  sit  as  a 
court  of  ultimate  appeal  for  the  oppressed.  But  how  can  he 
judge  rightly,  under  the  influence  of  intoxicating  drink  ?  It 
is  assumed  that  he  cannot. 

(6)  Give  strong  (kink  to  him  who  is  ready  to  perish  5  and  wine  to 
those  who  are  in  bitterness  of  spirit.  (7)  Let  him  drink,  and  forget 
his  poverty,  and  no  more  remember  his  toil. 


I'roy,  plur.  const,  of  TB'adj.  —  Y.  7,  d"^,  also  written  d"n 
and  'i'JO  ,  root  w'T"!  .  It  has  an  unusually  fluctuating  orthog 
raphy.  The  bitterness  of  spirit  seems  to  be  regarded  here 
as  brought  on  by  poverty  and  excessive  toil. 

(8)  Open  thy  mouth  for  the  dumb  ;  for  the  cause  of  every  orphan. 

That  is,  plead  for  those  who  cannot  plead  for  themselves. 
—  Advocate  the  cause  of  the  orphan,  lit.  of  all  the  sons  of  be 
reavement. 

(9)  Open   thy  mouth,   to  judge  righteously  :    yea,  vindicate   the 
afflicted  and  the  poor. 

p-ts  ,  Acc.  adverbial.  —  •p'n  may  be  a  noun  —judgment  ; 
but  the  verb  makes  a  more  energetic  sense.  To  judge  is 
generic,  and  may  mean  to  acquit  or  to  condemn.  Here  it 
means  to  acquit,  and  thus  to  vindicate  the  cause  of  the 
afflicted,  that  is,  of  the  oppressed. 

[These  precepts  are  brief,  but  very  expressive.  The  cautions  are 
directed  against  those  Arices,  into  which  kings  are  most  apt  to  fall.  Wine, 
women,  and  oppression  in  order  to  collect  much  money  from  the  peo 
ple,  are  things  about  which  kings  usually  need  very  impressive  in 
struction.  The  excellent  mother,  who  seems  to  have  understood 
these  matters  well,  has  here  given  salutary  advice,  with  great  kind 
ness  and  much  earnestness.  How  different  would  the  conduct  of  most 
kings  be,  should  they  hearken  to  the  admonitions  originally  addressed 
to  the  young  king  of  Massa  !] 


424  PART  VI— CHAP.  XXXI.  10—12. 


CHAP.  XXXI.  9—31.     Eulogy  of  the  prudent  and 

industrious  housewife.       , 

[This  is  one  of  the  alphabetical  songs.  The  style  differs  strikingly 
from  that  of  chap.  xxx. ;  for  here,  all  the  verses  are  nearly  of  the 
same  length.  The  parallelisms  have  a  close  resemblance  to  those  in 
the  book  of  Psalms  ;  and  especially  to  those  in  the  alphabetical  Psalms. 
It  results  from  the  texture  of  an  alphabetic  song,  that  the  connection 
of  the  thoughts  should  be  somewhat  looser  than  in  free  song,  because 
such  words  must  be  introduced  as  will  chime  with  the  order  of  the 
alphabet.  This  is  strictly  observed  in  the  present  case.  But  the 
second  parallelism  in  such  verse  is  free,  and  is  not  bound  by  any  order 
of  the  alphabet  at  all.  Whoever  was  the  author  of  the  piece,  (it  pur 
ports  to  have  come  from  the  queen-mother),  an  extensive  acquaint 
ance  with  the  laws  and  nature  of  the  more  artificial  Heb.  poetry  is 
manifested.  It  is  a  song  which  is  at  the  same  time  both  beautiful  and 
noble.  The  picture  is  certainly  very  attractive,  and  shows  the  hand 
of  a  skilful  artist.  It  is  a  striking  specimen  of  the  simplex  munditiis.] 

(10)  A  woman  of  energy  who  shall  find?     For  her  value  is  far 
removed  from  pearls. 

Who  shall  find '?  i.  e.  such  a  woman  is  rare,  but  well 
worth  searching  after.  —  Far  removed  from  pearls,  because 
she  is  worth  much  more  than  pearls.  Thus  we  say :  '  Such 
a  person  distanced  another/  when  we  mean  that  he  far  ex 
ceeded  him. 

(11)  The  heart  of  her  husband  trusteth  in  her  ;  and  gain  will  not 
be  lacking.     (12)   She  rcndereth  him  good,  and  not  evil,  all  the  days 
of  her  life. 

bbd ,  usually  spoil,  but  here  tropically,  that  which  is  equiv 
alent  to  it  in  value,  viz.,  gain,  profit.  In  other  words,  she 
brings  him  that  which  takes  the  place  of  spoil,  and  super 
sedes  it.  —  After  rbra  comes  two  Accusatives,  viz.,  that  of 
the  object  given,  and  of  the  person  to  whom  the  gift  is  made 
$  136.  2. 


PART  VI—  CHAP.  XXXI.  13—18.  425 

(13)  She  seekcth  wool  and  flax,  and  manufactureth  them  with 
willing  hands.  (14)  She  is  like  to  the  ships  of  the  merchant;  she 
bringeth  from  afar  her  sustenance. 


^.V.  13,  rpB3  "fBna,  lit.  with  the  desire  or  good  pleasure  of 
her  hands.  The  real  meaning  is  given  in  the  version,  i.  e. 
she  labors  readily  and  cheerfully.  —  She  bringeth  from  afar, 
etc.,  that  is,  she  sells  her  manufactures,  and  purchases  with 
the  price  of  them  that  food  which  is  imported  from  abroad, 
whether  necessaries  or  luxuries.  The  implication  is,  that 
she  sends  the  products  of  her  labor  to  a  foreign  country,  and 
thence  brings,  in  the  way  of  exchange,  what  she  needs  for 
her  household. 

(15)  She  riseth  up,  moreover,  while  it  is  yet  night,  and  giveth  food 
to  her  household,  and  a  due  portion  to  her  maidens. 

The  meaning  of  ?pa  (food)  here  is  derived  from  the  Hiph. 
of  Spa  ,  which  means  cibum  discerperc.  —  P.^S  here  prob 
ably  means  her  own  family  ;  while  p'n  ,  (lit.  statute,  law,  de 
cree),  designates  the  determined  portion  of  food  allotted  to 
her  maidens  ;  comp.  30  :  8,  where  is  a  like  instance  of  ph 
employed  in  this  way.  Were  it  not  for  this,  I  should  be 
inclined  to  refer  ph  to  the  allotted  task  of  the  servant-maids. 

(16)  She  setteth  her  mind  upon  a  field,  and  procureth  it  :  from  the 
fruit  of  her  hands  is  the  planting  of  the  vineyard. 


«"raE|  ,  thinks  upon,  revolves  in  her  mind,  i.  e.  she  thinks  out 
a  plan  of  purchasing  the  field.  —  The  fruit  of  her  hands, 
means  the  products  of  her  labor.  With  these,  she,  by  selling 
them,  procures  money  to  purchase  a  vineyard.  The  Kethibh 
should  be  written  sraa  ,  const,  of  SBJJ  (see  Is.  5:  7),  which 
makes  a  better  sense  than  the  verb  fiSES  ,  which  is  proffered 
by  the  Qeri. 

(17)  She  girdeth  her  loins  with  strength,  and  maketh  "Strong  her 
arms.     (18)  She  well  understandeth  that  her  merchandize  is  goodj 
her  lamp  goeth  not  out.  through  the  night. 
86* 


426  PART  VI— CHAP.  XXXI.  19—21. 

V.  17,  She  is  active  and  energetic.  —  V.  18,  She  knows 
how  to  appreciate  and  to  relish  the  good  or  comforts  which 
her  merchandize  procures.  Heb.  lit.,  She  tasteth  that  her  mer 
chandize  is  good.  I  have  endeavored  to  preserve  the  idea, 
while  expressing  it  in  our  current  idiom.  —  As  to  ?r=,  the 
Masorites  bid  us  to  turn  it  into  J^b,  which  last  is  the  usual 
form.  But  the  other  is  good,  and  is  elsewhere  employed.  — 
The  idea  here  is,  that  she  works  through  the  night,  in  order 
to  accomplish  some  favorite  task  of  her  industry,  and  so  needs 
a  lamp  during  that  period. 

(19)  Her  hands  she  putteth  to  the  distaff:  her  fingers  grasp  the 
spindle-wheel. 

THa-a  is  found  only  here.  Ges.  refers  it  to  the  root  TiJS , 
and  so  it  would  seem  that  it  must  be  referred,  as  to  its  form. 
But  there  is  nothing  in  the  meaning  of  this  verb,  (to  be  right, 
prosperous),  which  indicates  any  relation  to  the  subject.  We 
depend  on  Jewish  tradition  for  its  meaning  ;  which,  however, 
is  uniform.  —  "rjr.?  ^s  ,  rendered  spindle  by  most.  But  if  her 
hands  took  hold  of  that,  it  must  be  something  very  different 
from  our  spindles.  As  the  word  means  a  little  wheel  or  pul 
ley,  orUculus,  I  take  it  as  here  designating  the  wheel  which 
the  hands  turn,  and  which  is  connected  with  the  motion  of 
the  spindle. 

(20)  She  openeth  wide  her  hand  to  the  afflicted  ;  she  putteth  forth 
her  hands  to  the  needy.     (21)   She  feareth  not  for  her  household  he- 
cause  of  the  snow;  for  all  her  hou.se  are  clothed  with  purple. 

V.  20,  Opens  wide  her  hand,  i.  e.  dispenses  liberally.  — 
Putteth  forth,  etc.,  i.  e.  she  stretches  out  her  hand  for  the  sake 
of  succoring.  V.  21,  Because  of  the  snow,  i.  e.  because  of  the 
wintry  cold.  —  c^:;r ,  purple,  is  probably  to  be  understood 
tropically  here  ;  for  the  mere  color  of  a  garment  would  not 
defend  from  the  cold  ;  nor  was  the  color  in  question  limited 
merely  to  garments  of  woollen  cloth.  The  meaning,  there 
fore,  seems  to  be,  that  she  furnishes  handsome  and  warm 


PART  VI—  CHAP.  XXXI.  22—26.  427 

clothing  for  her  family.  Purple  garments  were  of  course  of 
the  better  sort,  and  also  the  highest  in  price  ;  hence  the 
tropical  meaning  here. 

(22)  Coverlets  doth  she  make  for  herself  ;  fine  linen  and  scarlet  is 
her  clothing.  (23)  Her  husband  is  known  in  the  gates,  because  he 
sits  with  the  eiders  of  the  land. 


V.  22,  CI'WE  seems  to  be  confined  to  the  clothing  of  beds. 
We  cannot  well  give  it  the  generic  sense  of  covering,  although 
it  would  fit  well  here.  —  The  literal  meaning  of  scarlet  here, 
need  not  be  urged.  The  general  idea  is,  that  she  furnishes 
the  best  kinds  of  clothing.  —  V.  23,  By  thrift,  her  husband 
attains  to  a  place  among  the  magistracy,  who  sit  by  the  gates 
in  order  to  decide  causes.  Accordingly,  he  is  said  to  sit  with 
the  elders. 

(24)  Linen  vestments  doth  she  make  and  sell  ;  and  girdles  doth  she 
present  to  the  merchant-man. 

'p'lb  is  the  inner  linen  vestment  =  shirt.  —  The  girdle  is  a 
necessary  part  of  oriental  costume,  because  of  the  loose  outer 
vestments,  which  it  is  employed  to  draw  close  to  the  person. 

(25)  Strong  and  beautiful  is  her  clothing;  and  she  laugheth  at  the 
time  to  come. 

Lit.  strength  and  beauty,  abstract  for  concrete.  —  Laughs  at 
the  time  to  come,  because  she  has  abundant  provision  for  it, 
i.  e.  clothing  and  stores  of  every  kind  ;  and  therefore  she  is 
cheerful  (laughs),  not  having  any  solicitude. 

(26)  Her  mouth  she  openeth  with  wisdom  ;  and  the  law  of  kind 
ness  is  on  her  tongue. 

She  speaks  discreetly,  and  her  speech  is  kindly. 

(27)  She  watcheth  the  ways  of  her  household;  and  the  bread  of 
sloth  she  eateth  not. 


,  fern.  Part.  Kal  of  MBS,  §  74.  n.  5.  —  The  Kethibh 
makes  no  sense,  in  the  next  word,  without  another  vowel- 


428  PART  VI—  CHAP.  XXXI.  28—31. 


pointing  ;  but  rrir^n  ,  would  be  a  fern.  Plur.  Part.,  and  then 
the  meaning  would  be  :  she  watcheth  over  the  goers  of  her 
house,  i.  e.  over  her  servants  —  a  possible,  but  rather  im 
probable  sense,  as  no  example  of  the  like  kind  anywhere 
occurs.  We  must  (with  the  Qeri)  read  nia^brt  ,  goings,  i.  e. 
ways  or  demeanor.  —  Will  not  eat  the  bread  of  idleness,  means 
that  she  will  not  sit  down  inactive,  and  be  fed  merely  by 
others  who  are  active,  while  she  is  idle  herself. 

(28)  Her  children  rise  up  and  call  her  blessed;  as  to  her  husband  — 
he  will  praise  her  :  (29)  Many  daughters  have  done  virtuously,  but 
thou  hast  excelled  them  all  ! 

ttbss  is  put  first  for  emphasis'  sake,  and  stands  here  as 
Nom.  independent.  —  V.  29  is  the  eulogy  which  the  husband 
utters.  —  Virtuously,  in  the  older  sense  of  the  word,  i.  e. 
efficaciously  =  b^na  .  We  say  still  :  "  This  herb  has  no  vir 
tue  in  it,"  i.  e.  no  potency  or  efficacy.  —  nx  ,  thou  fern.  ;  the 
Dagh.  stands  for  3  ;  and  the  reason  of  the  Sheva  at  the  close 
will  be  seen  at  once,  by  writing  out  the  full  word  wx,  §  10. 
3.  b.  —  n^S  ,  second  fern.,  hast  risen  up.  Then  follows  by  , 
above  ;  so,  thou  hast  excelled.  —  J-I323  ,  b'3  with  plur.  suflf.  fern. 

(30)  Loveliness  is  deception,  and  beauty  is  vanity  ;  but  a  woman 
who  fears  God  shall  be  praised. 

That  is,  loveliness  and  beauty  of  person  merely  are  fleet 
ing,  evanescent,  and  unsatisfying.  Piety  is  everything.  — 
run^,  Part.  fern,  in  the  const,  state,  masc.  anj  ,  fern,  nx^  , 
const,  nsn^,  §  132.  1.  b. 

(31)  Praise  ye  her  according  to  the  fruit  of  her  hands  ;  yea.  men 
shall  praise  her  in  the  gates  for  her  deeds. 

*DPi  most  make  from  "jna  ,  in  the  Imper.,  and  so,  they  trans 
late  by  give.  But  another  way  is  open.  fiSFi  ,  in  Piel,  means 
to  praise,  and  perhaps  the  same  in  Kal.  If  not,  then  the 
vowel-points  may  be  changed  to  ^n  ,  Piel  Imper.  That 
this  is  the  more  probable  sense,  seems  to  be  indicated  by  the 


PART  VI—  CHAP.  XXXI.  31.  429 


corresponding  ibbi"}11.  ,  in  the  next  clause.  In  Judg.  11:  40, 
b  is  inserted  after  nissn  ,  as  it  is  in  fib  here.  —  In  •nQ's  ,  ^ 
has  the  sense  of  according  to,  secundum  ;  see  Lex.  s.  v.  A.  2. 
f.  —  i^is?^  ,  Ace.  of  in  respect  to,  in  regard  to. 

It  may  not  be  amiss  to  suggest  here,  that  the  verb  !t:n 
originally  means  extend,  porrigere,  spread  out,  (the  root  of 
the  Greek  verb  vsw-co),  and  that  the  much  controverted 
Fi*F)  of  Ps.  8  :  2,  may  be  easily  explained  by  pointing  it  Jis'n, 
which  makes  the  passage  read  thus  :  Who  spreadest  out  thy 
glory  c^^n  b"  ,  over  the  heavens.  In  this  way,  all  is  easy 
and  natural  ;  for  b>  (over)  is  altogether  appropriate  after 
such  a  verb  or  participle,  but  not  at  all  after  n:n  as  derived 
from  "ro  .  Hence  the  perplexity  of  commentators,  who  de 
rived  it  in  this  way.  If  the  sense  proposed  be  altogether 
congruous,  (as  it  plainly  is),  and  at  the  same  time  we  are 
liberated  from  all  grammatical  straits,  I  know  of  no  good 
reason  why  we  should  not  adopt  it. 

One  must  go  back  to  the  simplicity  of  ancient  times,  in 
order  to  enter  fully  into  the  spirit  of  this  eulogy  ;  and  every 
one  who  does  this,  cannot  fail  to  perceive  the  admirable 
beauty,  congruity,  and  simplicity  of  the  whole. 


CONTENTS. 


I.  INTRODUCTION. 

PAGE. 

Preface 3 

§  1.  Name  of  the  Book 11 

§  2.  Leading  Divisions 13 

§  3.  Why  is  one  common  name  given  to  the  whole  ? 17 

§  4.  Arrangement  and  characteristics  of  Part  1 19 

§  5.  Authorship  of  Part  1 23 

§  6.  Characteristics  of  Part  II 30 

§  7.   Characteristics  of  Part  III 39 

§  8.  Characteristics  of  Part  IV 44 

§  9.   Characteristics  of  Part  V 47 

§  10.   Characteristics  of  Part  VI 51 

§  11.  Plan  of  the  Book 54 

§  12.  Idioms  and  Peculiarities 59 

§  1 3.  Practical  importance 61 

§  14.  Ancient  Versions 64 

(1 )  Septna^-int 64 

(2)  Pcshito,  or  Old  Syriac 75 

(3)  The  Chaldce  Targums 81 

(4)  The  Vulgate 90 

§  15.  Apocryphal  Imitations  of  Proverbs 92 

(1)  Sirach 92 

(2)  Whdom  of  Solomon 101 

§16.  General  remarks  on  the  Proverbs  of  the  Hebrews  ...  .111 

§  17.   Specimens  of  Arabic  Proverbs 114 


CONTENTS.  431 

§  18.  Specimens  of  Greek  Proverbs 120 

§  19.  Use  of  the  Book  of  Proverbs 126 

§  20.  Peculiarities  of  Exegesis , 128 


II.  SPECIAL  REMARKS  ON  PECULIAR  FORMS,  SYNTAX,  AND 
MEANING  OF  WORDS,  ETC.,  IN  REFERENCE  TO  GRAM 
MATICAL  DIFFICULTIES  AND  EXEGESIS. 

[The  design  of  the  following  notices  is  to  guide  the  reader,  in  any 
particular  researches  after  specialities  in  Hebrew  Grammar  or  exege 
sis.  They  may  assist  him  in  finding  examples  for  the  illustration  of 
peculiar  idioms  and  meanings  of  words  and  phrases,  and  also  peculiar 
constructions.] 

(1)  Infinitives  with  b  instead  of  a  definite  Verb,  1:  2.  (Variety 

in  the  construction),  2  :  2,  8.  8  :  21. 

(2)  Gender  of  Infinitive  Nouns  of  fern,  form  may  be  masculine, 

14  :  G,  (cases  quoted). 

(3)  Inf.  construct  admits  a  qualifying  or  object-noun,  between 

its  subject  and  itself,  1:  26. 

(4)  Inf.  Mode  continued   by  a  definite  Mode  and  Tense,  1:  26. 

2:  2,  8.   19  :  8. 

(5)  Speciality  of  ^2  ,  Prov.  1:  17,  (initial),  2:  3. 

(6)  i-i2-  added  to  third  person  fern,  of  the  Imperfect,  to  distin 

guish  it  from  second  pers.  masculine. 

(7)  Use  of  Perf.  and  Imperf.  distinct,  1:  22,  comp.  1:  24. 

(8)  Difference  between  ",?,-  •;-  and  US-  f2-  in  the  Imperf.  forms, 

1:  28. 

(9)  Preposition  ••q  meaning  without,  1:  30,  fortified  by  examples. 

(10)  Discrepancy  of.  Gender   between  a  Verb  and  its   subject, 

Introd.,  §  11.   chap.  2  :  10.     1:  20.    9:1.     12  :  25.    14  :  1. 
1C:  33,  (Exc.). 

(11)  Plural  Nom.  having  a  &'/?</.  predicate,  —  i.  e.  case   of  indi 

vidualizing,  3  :  18,  (cases  cited),  4  :  22.   28  :  1. 

(12)  3  essentiae,  3  :  2G,  (with  references),  8  :  8. 

(13)  b  after  verbs  of  Motion,  20  :  14. 


432  CONTENTS. 

(14)  Case  of  Daghesh  dirimens,  4:13,  (with  references). 

(15)  Common  Gender  of  the  members  of  the   body,  5 :  2,  with 

references. 

(16)  Omission  and  insertion  of  the  article  before  a  noun  with  3  , 

5:  4. 

(17)  Omission  of  Daghesh  forte  in  verbs  $y ,  7  :  13. 

(18)  Omission  of  Daghesh  lene  in  7  :  16,  (an  extra  case). 

(19)  Vav  conversive,  before  a  Norn,  which  precedes  the  verb, 

still  has  the  same  influence  on  the  verb  itself,  12  :  21. 

(20)  Compounds  with  bx  ,  see  12  :  28.  30  :  31. 

(21)  Is  F.X  used  before  a  Nom.  Case  ?     Ans.  neg. ;  (see  16  :  33, 

with  Exc.). 

(22)  Conjugation  Nithpael,  27:  15. 

(23)  Plural  intensive,  6  :  10,  14,  16.    7  :  18,  27.  8 :  13.  9:1,  6, 

10.   10  :  6,  31,  32.   14  :  1,  11,  17,  30.   17  :  4.   18  :  23.  20  : 
18.   22  :  24.   24  :  7,  32.   28  :  20.   29  :  1. 

(24)  Alleged  predestination  of  the  wicked,  16  :  4. 

(25)  Reward  in  a  Future  State,  14 :  32.  15:10. 

(26)  Special  Disquisition  on  Agur  and  Lemuel,  30  :  1.  31:  1. 


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